Vatican court sentences Italian Prelate Angelo Becciu to five years imprisonment

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Former adviser to the Pope, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has been indicted for financial crimes. His trial was centered on a London property deal that ended in huge losses for the Catholic Church. After the trial, the Vatican court sentenced the former cardinal to five and a half years in prison.

The cardinal was also accused of funneling vast sums of money to his home diocese of Sardinia, some of which reportedly benefited his family. And it was alleged he paid almost €600,000 to another of the accused, Cecilia Marogna, to help free a nun kidnapped in Mali. Prosecutors said she instead spent much of the money on luxury goods and holidays. Marogna, who had offered her services to the Vatican as an intelligence expert, visited Becciu’s residence on several occasions. Both denied claims of a sexual relationship.

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