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<p>Judges cite procedural flaws tied to papal decrees, requiring renewed proceedings while leaving prior convictions formally intact.</p>
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<p>The Vatican Court of Appeal has ordered a partial retrial in the high-profile London property finance case, ruling that key parts of the original proceedings were invalid due to procedural issues.</p>
<p>In a March 17 decision, judges found a “relative nullity” in the trial involving the Secretariat of State’s investment in a London building, widely known as the “trial of the century.” The ruling does not overturn the original trial or its verdicts but requires that portions of the case be reheard.</p>
<p>The court determined that four decrees issued by Pope Francis during the investigation — which altered procedural rules and were not publicly promulgated — undermined the legitimacy of some investigative acts.</p>
<p>As a result, prosecutors must refile the full body of evidence by April 30, with a new timetable for proceedings to follow.</p>
<p>The original trial concluded in 2023 after 86 hearings, with nine of 10 defendants receiving prison sentences totaling more than 37 years and roughly 200 million euros (about $231 million) in damages ordered.</p>
<p>Defense attorneys had long argued that the case was compromised by incomplete evidence filings and procedural irregularities. The appeals court upheld many of those objections while maintaining that the first-instance judgment still carries legal effect.</p>
<p>The case centers on the Secretariat of State’s controversial investment in a luxury London property along with related financial dealings involving Cardinal Angelo Becciu and other defendants.</p>
<p>The ruling marks a major development in the Vatican’s most complex financial prosecution in recent history and raises fresh uncertainty about the durability of the original convictions.</p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/vatican-court-orders-partial-retrial-in-trial-of-the-century-finance-case">Source link </a></p>
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Vatican Court Orders Partial Retrial in ‘Trial of the Century’ Finance Case| National Catholic Register
