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Vatican says it started prosecuting financial crimes in 2016

By Carlo marroni
Italy Europe 24
January 27, 2017

http://www.italy24.ilsole24ore.com/art/panorama/2017-01-26/vatican-prosecutes-financial-crimes-110801.php?uuid=AEY2fvH

René Brülhart is a Swiss lawyer from Fribourg who currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Financial Information Authority (AIF) of Vatican City

René Brülhart revealed that the city-state began prosecuting people accused of financial crimes for the first time in 2016

The process of reform of Vatican finances is a work in progress, that obviously continues (albeit slowly) even if it’s not in the spotlight.

In fact, legal proceedings were initiated in the inner circles of the Vatican against people accused of financial crimes in 2016, for the first time.

The President of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority René Bruelhart told US newspaper National Catholic Reporter in a recent interview that the first court proceedings began, with no public announcement, in 2016 and will continue at a faster pace in 2017.

“Work is increasing and we are definitely making progress to that effect,” said Bruelhart, speaking about the financial side of the reform process pushed by Pope Francis, but launched by Benedict XVI in 2010 following a judicial inquiry initiated by an Italian Court, that led in recent days to a request for conviction for two former executives of the Institute for Religious works (IOR), also known informally as the Vatican Bank.

One of the remarks that was made in the past against the Vatican’s finance supervision system was that it did not persecute those who were identified as responsible for a financial offense, despite many suspicious transaction reports (544 in 2015).




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