麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Amid procedural errors, Vatican fraud trial sees more delay

Faithful gather to listen to Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Faithful gather to listen to Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Share
VATICAN CITY -

The Vatican's big fraud and embezzlement trial, which opened to great fanfare in July, suffered another delay Tuesday as the tribunal postponed any further decisions until prosecutors finish redoing their investigation of four of the original 10 defendants.

The delay means the trial, which had already been proceeding at a snail's pace even by Italian standards, won't get off the ground until mid-February at the earliest.

Tribunal president Giuseppe Pignatone said that by then he could "finally, hopefully" unify the two branches of the trial and start in earnest.

"We're in an open construction site," Pignatone said of the current status. "The key thing is that the trial needs more time before it can open for real."

After two years of investigation, Vatican prosecutors in July charged 10 people -- including a once-powerful cardinal -- with a host of financial crimes related to the Holy See's 350 million-euro investment in a London residential property.

Prosecutors allege some Vatican officials and Italian brokers fleeced the Holy See of millions of euros in fees and commissions, much of it donations from the faithful.

They have charged one broker with then extorting the Vatican out of 15 million euros to get full control of the building. The defendants have denied any wrongdoing.

Pope Francis' own role in the deal has come under scrutiny since several witnesses have said he approved negotiating an exit deal with the broker accused of extortion.

In October, Pignatone ordered prosecutors to throw out their indictments for four of their suspects and start over because they failed to respect basic procedural steps during the investigation meant to protect the rights of the accused, including summoning them for questioning so they could respond to the accusations.

On Tuesday, assistant prosecutor Gianluca Perone said to date prosecutors had only heard from one of the four. He said he expected to know by Jan. 20 whether prosecutors would ask for new indictments or for the charges to be dropped.

Pignatone set a procedural hearing for Jan. 25 -- "hopefully the last one" -- and said he hoped by mid-February to then unify the proceedings against both sets of defendants and open the trial in earnest.

Pignatone has also repeatedly ordered prosecutors to turn over to the defense the videotaped recordings of a key suspect-turned-star witness so the suspects can adequately prepare their defence.

The prosecutors initially refused, then deposited most of the tapes but with cuts that in some cases amounted to an hour.

On Tuesday, Pignatone announced he had appointed technical experts to provide written transcripts of the main witness, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, as well as all the other defendants.

He didn't rule on defence requests to provide the full, uncut tapes.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.

Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

Local Spotlight

For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.