The appeals phase of the Vatican's high-profile financial misconduct trial commenced on Monday with defense lawyers filing motions to disqualify lead prosecutor Alessandro Diddi, citing alleged conflicts of interest revealed in extensive WhatsApp exchanges.
The "trial of the century," centered on a controversial 350 million euro ($412 million) investment in a London real estate deal, has captivated observers since its 2023 convictions, exposing rifts within the Holy See's hierarchy. Tribunal President Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo accepted the recusal requests, granting Diddi three days to respond, a move that highlights deepening fissures in the proceedings.
The original trial, which wrapped in December 2023, convicted nine individuals, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu—once Pope Francis's trusted aide and a rumored papal successor—on charges ranging from embezzlement to fraud. Becciu, who served as the Vatican's substitute secretary of state from 2011 to 2018, received a five-and-a-half-year sentence for diverting Vatican funds, including 100,000 euros to a family-linked charity and payments to a self-proclaimed security expert.
The case stemmed from a 2013-2014 investment in a Sloane Avenue property, managed through Italian financier Raffaele Mincione's fund, which ultimately led to losses exceeding 150 million euros upon resale amid a web of opaque transactions. Prosecutors alleged a scheme to defraud the Secretariat of State, though the court acquitted on broader conspiracy claims.
Central to the recusal bids are over 3,200 pages of WhatsApp messages and audio files, leaked post-verdict and first surfacing in Italian media like Domani in April 2025. The exchanges, primarily between Francesca Immaculate Chaouqui—a convicted Vatican whistleblower—and associate Genevieve Ciferri, detail efforts to coerce Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, the deal's initial overseer, into revising his testimony against Becciu in August 2020.
Perlasca, previously a suspect, became a key witness after his pivot, avoiding charges and even joining another Vatican prosecution. The chats imply involvement from Vatican police, including Commissioner Stefano De Santis, who allegedly coached Chaouqui on implicating others, and suggest Diddi's "irregular contacts" with Perlasca, including receiving over 126 messages from Ciferri in 2022—many redacted in evidence.
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Defense attorneys for Becciu and co-defendants argue the materials indicate a tainted investigation, potentially influenced by Pope Francis himself, undermining trial fairness in the Vatican's absolute monarchy structure. "We do not yet know whether what emerges from the chats and audio recordings is true, but it is certain that they seem to reveal... a disturbing direct or indirect involvement of the investigators," their motion stated.
Diddi, a former Roman mob prosecutor appointed Vatican Promoter of Justice in 2022, welcomed the chance to rebut, vowing a measured reply before stepping aside for the hearing. Should he decline recusal, the issue escalates to the Court of Cassation, led by Cardinal Kevin Farrell—Francis's appointee and current camerlengo—who recently disclosed a papal directive barring Becciu from future conclaves.
The appeals, involving prosecutors' push to reinstate dropped charges, could extend months, testing Vatican judicial reforms under Francis. While the 2023 ruling focused on individual malfeasance, these revelations have fueled claims of orchestrated persecution, with Becciu decrying a "public humiliation." Legal experts note the case's broader implications for Holy See transparency, as ongoing British proceedings affirm the Vatican's defraudment in the deal.
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