DItalian Cardinal Angelo Becciu has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison and a fine in the Vatican for fraud and embezzlement. The Vatican State Criminal Court announced the verdict late Saturday afternoon. The 75-year-old Becciu is the first cardinal in church history to be convicted by the Vatican judiciary. Becciu's lawyers announced that they would appeal the verdict.
The criminal trial is one of the largest in the Vatican to date. For the first time, a high-ranking cardinal stood before the court as a defendant. The trial, which has been going on for more than two years, concerned the loss-making purchase of a luxury property in the London district of Chelsea by the Vatican Secretariat of State, where Becciu was an important department head for several years. But the Vatican invested more money than planned. In the end there was a loss in the three-digit million range.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the questionable million-dollar deal in London uncovered further shady dealings and machinations within the Vatican. Vatican law enforcement accused the Italian churchman and nine other defendants of, among other things, extortion, money laundering, fraud, corruption, embezzlement and abuse of office.
The historic trial has been running since mid-2021. The mammoth trial could make history with the verdict.
The Vatican prosecutor had demanded a prison sentence of seven years and three months and a heavy fine for Becciu. In addition to Becciu, there were nine other defendants.
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