VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Register
by ELISE HARRIS/CNA/EWTN NEWS
07/07/2016
VATICAN CITY — After an eight month trial weighing the guilt of five individuals in the leaking and disseminating of confidential financial documents, the Vatican sentenced a Vatican official and a laywoman for the crime.
Spanish Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda was found guilty of leaking the documents and sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, since he has already been in prison for 8 months, his sentence could be cut to 10 months.
Italian PR woman Francesca Chaouqui was found guilty of conspiring in the crime, but was not charged with the actual leak of the documents given a lack of evidence. She was sentenced to 10 months in prison for her role, however, the sentence was suspended for five years, meaning that she is free to go, but should she commit another crime within 5 years of her original sentence, she would have to go to prison not only for the new crime, but would also have to serve the 10 months of her initial charges.
Both she and Vallejo will be required to pay for the cost of the trial.
Nicola Maio, Msgr. Vallejo’s secretary, pleaded not guilty and was fully absolved of all charges “for having not committed the crime.”
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