ROME
CNBC
Published: Sunday, 10 Jun 2012
ROME (Reuters) – A senior official of the Vatican’s bank denied on Sunday a reports that prominent Italian lay clients including politicians held secret numbered accounts at the institution, which is caught up in a money laundering investigation.
The Institute for Works of Religion (IOR) has been in the spotlight since 2010 when Italian investigators froze 23 million euros ($28.75 million) of its funds in Italian banks as part of their inquiry.
In a newspaper interview published on Sunday, IOR’s Director General Paolo Cipriani denied allegations which have surfaced since its president was abruptly ousted.
“There are no numbered accounts or accounts of politicians,” Cipriani told Corriere della Sera. “The only non-clergy Italians that hold accounts are employees or pensioners of the Holy See.”
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