"Neither Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, nor Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the current substitute, were among those indicted, as prosecutors said they found they were “not fully aware” of the details of the financial maneuvers."
Vatican indicts cardinal, nine others for roles in London property deal
In this 2014 file photo, recruits of the Vatican's Swiss Guard march in front of the tower of the Institute for Works of Religion, often referred to as the Vatican bank. (Credit: CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters.)
ROME – For the first time, a cardinal will stand trial in a Vatican court along with nine other individual defendants and three corporate entities, all charged with various offenses for their roles in a controversial London property deal orchestrated by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.
Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who oversaw the early stages of the London deal when he served as the substitute, or number two official, was indicted on Saturday along with nine others, including well-known Swiss lawyer René Brülhart, the former president of the Vatican’s financial watchdog unit. The decision comes after a two-year investigation.
The trial will begin July 27, and charges range from extortion, embezzlement and fraud to money laundering, abuse of office and violation of …