Senior Italian Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu is suspected of paying A$1.14 million from Vatican funds to witnesses, to ensure the takedown of his bitter rival, Cardinal George Pell.
The allegedly corrupt cardinal wanted to ensure that Melbourne Supreme Court witnesses gave a hostile testimony in order to put Cardinal Pell behind bars during the 2019 trial, reports Italian media.
Cardinal Pell was accused of molesting choir boys in Melbourne in the 1990s, he was convicted, sentenced, imprisoned and later cleared. He returned to Rome on the 30th of September this year after spending 18 months in jail.
It is reported that a “huge enmity” exists between the two. Cardinal Pell, as the Pope’s finance minister, sought to expose Cardinal Becciu for misappropriating Vatican funds. The 72-year old is allegedly suspected of funnelling Vatican cash to charities and businesses run by his three brothers.
Investigators alleged Cardinal Becciu hoped the money would thwart Cardinal Pell’s transparency program which would have exposed Becciu’s own allegedly corrupt management of Vatican cash.
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Published on October 5, 2020