Vatican's Landmark Conviction: Unveiling Financial Intrigue Amongst Church Hierarchies

In 2023, a Vatican tribunal upheld Cardinal Angelo Becciu's conviction of misappropriating funds in a failed $200 million real estate deal in London. Becciu, denying the charges, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years imprisonment, with the tribunal emphasizing his direct involvement and awareness of financial missteps.

A Vatican tribunal on Wednesday upheld its landmark decision convicting senior Catholic Cardinal Angelo Becciu of misappropriation of funds linked to a failed $200 million real estate investment in London.

Becciu, once the most senior official to face trial before a Vatican criminal court, was sentenced in December last year and continues to refute the charges. The tribunal's 800-page document detailed the conviction, highlighting Becciu's direct involvement and violations of Vatican procedures in the purchase of the building at 60 Sloane Avenue.

The scandal, which spotlighted infighting within the Vatican, led to Becciu's dismissal by Pope Francis in 2020 on separate nepotism allegations. The tribunal underscored that the investment fiasco accounted for a significant portion of the Secretariat's asset portfolio.

(With inputs from agencies.)