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Former Vatican Bank Officials Charged with Embezzlement
telesur
The three men are suspected of embezzling money while managing the sale of 29 buildings sold by the Vatican bank to mainly Italian buyers between 2001 and 2008.
The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See Father Federico Lombardi announced Saturday that three top former officials of the Vatican Bank are being charged with embezzlement. Lombardi also said that bank assets of the former officials – totaling US$19.6 million – have been frozen following a ruling by the Vatican's top prosecutor. “The problem was presented to authorities of the Vatican court after an internal audit was conducted last year,” Lombardi said. “The accounts of the interested parties at the bank were seized as a precautionary measure a few weeks ago.” Former Vatican Bank president Angelo Caloia, ex-director general Lelio Scaletti, and lawyer Gabriele Liuzzo, are suspected of embezzling money while managing the sale of 29 buildings sold by the Vatican bank between 2001 and 2008. The Vatican bank or Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), has been at the center of a series of financial scandals for decades. In July it closed over 3,000 suspected or inactive accounts in an attempt to shed its image as a tax haven. Pope Francis was appointed last year with a mandate to overhaul the Vatican and has focused on improving transparency in the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, Vatican’s chief accountant, Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, was arrested for allegedly using his Vatican bank accounts to launder millions.
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