Paul KeenanVatican accountant Msgr Nunzio Scarano (pictured) has been further charged as a result of an investigation into his financial activities.
Having already faced a court in Rome in connection with his 2013 arrest in relation to the alleged smuggling of €20 million, Msgr Scarano, who worked for the Administration for the Patrimony of the Holy See,now faces charges of the false solicitation of donations and money laundering via the Vatican Bank.
The charges are connected to a hospice in Salerno, linking the monsignor – and another priests also arrested – to the transfer of funds donated there which were subsequently used to pay off a mortgage. When evidence of the financial mismanagement came to light, police moved on January 21 to seize bank accounts and property, including a luxury apartment owned by Msgr Scarano. He continues to live under house arrest as the smuggling trial continues.
A Vatican investigation in Msgr Scarano during his time with the Administration for the Patrimony of the Holy See has resulted in an 89-page report submitted to Pope Francis who has made Vatican Bank transparency and probity a priority of his pontificate.