In the massive financial trial that involved questionable deals worth millions of dollars, a cardinal was sentenced to prison by a Vatican court, for the first time in the history of the Catholic Church.
The Vatican Court today sentenced Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu to five years and six months in prison for his involvement in a real estate scandal that caused financial losses.
Never before had a cardinal from the Curia been sentenced to prison by a Vatican court. Becciu's lawyers announced they would appeal the verdict.
Nine more people accused
Vatican prosecutor Alessandro Diddi originally demanded a prison sentence of seven years and three months and a large fine for 75-year-old Becciu. Nine other people were accused of him.
The process, which has lasted more than two years, essentially dealt with the loss-making purchase of a luxury property in the London neighborhood of Chelsea by the Vatican Secretariat of State, where Becciu was an important head of department for several years. The deal fell through because the Vatican invested more money than planned. In the end, there was a loss in the triple-digit millions.