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On November 4, 2019, CNA reported that in 2015, Cardinal Becciu appears to have attempted to conceal on Vatican balance sheets nearly $200 million in loans related to the transaction by writing them off against the value of the property in London, a prohibited accounting maneuver. by the financial policies approved by Pope Francis in 2014.
This apparent attempt to hide the loans was detected by the Prefecture of the Economy, then headed by Cardinal George Pell. Senior officials from the prefecture of the economy told CNA in 2019 that Becciu told Pell that the cardinal was “interfering in sovereign affairs” by reviewing the secretariat’s relationship with Swiss bank BSI.
BSI was shut down by Swiss banking authorities in 2017, following an investigation that found systematic violations of money laundering protections.
On Saturday, Becciu said Torzi’s involvement in the London property deal only came after he left the secretariat.
In May, CNA reported that Swiss authorities had frozen tens of millions of euros in multiple bank accounts as part of the Vatican’s investigation into the deal.
On June 6, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that among the frozen funds were several million under the control of Msgr. Alberto Perlasca.
Perlasca served under Becciu for almost a decade as head of the administrative office of the first section of the secretariat until July 2019, when he was transferred to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the supreme court of the Holy -Headquarters. Perlasca worked as a prosecutor in court, until his office and home were raided by investigators in February.
In a newspaper interview The Giornale On Monday, Perlasca denied having Swiss bank accounts and is “prepared to sue anyone who claims otherwise.”
Perlasca said that “there was considerable confusion, I hope unknowingly, between the personal accounts and the accounts of the Secretariat of State, over which, however, I had no signing authority since only the superiors had it. I only had the power to sign in collaboration with another superior. I don’t remember ever having to use it, as there was never a need for it. In other words: I couldn’t move a penny.
Perlasca said he personally filed a complaint against Torzi in 2018, alleging fraud by the businessman.
Corriere also reported that accounts belonging to Mincione were seized by Swiss authorities as part of the investigation, as well as those under the control of Enrico Crasso, who also managed Holy See investments through the Centurion Global Fund.
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Casso said Corriere that the accounts concerning him were only under his direction and not personal accounts. Previously, CNA reported on Centurion’s ties to several institutions subject to money laundering allegations.
On Saturday, Mincione denied any relationship with Torzi beyond working with him as an intermediary chosen by the secretariat for the completion of the purchase of the property.
In an interview with AdcronosMincione said that in addition to knowing Torzi slightly as a social acquaintance, his contact with him was limited to Torzi’s mandate to act on behalf of the secretariat, given by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who replaced Becciu as sostituto. in 2018.
Mincione insisted in the interview that his dealings with the secretariat were all legitimate and that the Holy See could still make a profit on the London property.
Mincione also seemed to imply that the blame for Torzi’s involvement may ultimately lie with Pope Francis, saying “there’s a picture of Torzi with the pope, which I have. [Torzi] received this work from Peña Parra, [who was himself] appointed by the pope.” It’s unclear why or how Mincione would have a picture of Torzi with the pope, especially if the two businessmen weren’t close.
CNA previously reported that Torzialong with his family, were received in private audience by Pope Francis on December 26, 2018. Repeated inquiries, over several months, to the Holy See asking how the meeting was organized went unanswered.
