Vatican judge tosses defense motions as fraud trial advances

A Vatican tribunal has resoundingly rejected defense motions to dismiss a landmark financial fraud case

Vatican Scandal (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A Vatican tribunal on Tuesday resoundingly rejected defense motions to dismiss a landmark financial fraud case and ruled the trial will go ahead with the questioning of a cardinal scheduled for later this month.

Judge Giuseppe Pignatone read aloud his rejection of two-dozen defense arguments from the past seven months that sought to have the charges dropped against the 10 defendants, who deny wrongdoing.

The case involves the Holy See's bungled 350 million-euro ($301 million) real estate investment in a London property.

Pignatone set March 17 for the next hearing. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former top Vatican official, is expected to be questioned about allegations he funneled Holy See money to a Sardinian charity run by his brother.

Vatican prosecutors have accused the Holy See’s longtime money manager, Italian brokers and lawyers of fleecing the Vatican of tens of millions of euros in fees and of then extorting 15 million euros from the Vatican to get full ownership of the property.