ROME — The Vatican insisted on Thursday Closing of a trial in Great Britain who was the victim of years-long fraud over his investment in a London property, arguing that one of his main brokers in no way acted “in good faith”.
The Vatican presented a final declaration at the closing of the trial presented by British-Italian runner Raffaele Mincione. A verdict is expected after the summer.
Mincione is seeking to clear his name in the British courts after a Vatican criminal court convicted him last year for his role in the Holy See’s 350 million euro ($375 million) investment in the former Harrod’s warehouse. He is asking the British High Court to declare that he acted “in good faith” in his dealings with the Vatican.
The Holy See had tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed, but once at trial, it doubled down on its claims that Mincione and a colleague were involved in a conspiracy to strip it of millions of euros by inflating the cost of the building when the Vatican decided it wanted buy it in full at the end of 2018.
“The (Secretary of State’s) position is that the plaintiffs obviously did not act in good faith,” the Vatican filing said.
He urged the High Court to reject Mincione’s request for a series of declarations attesting to his work in “good faith.” The Vatican argued that the burden fell on Mincione to prove that everything he did was honest. Mincione says the prices listed were accurate.
“If the claimants cannot demonstrate that they acted in good faith at all material times leading up to the transaction, the entire house of cards on which the claim is based collapses,” the Vatican filing said.
The London case, believed to be the first time the Holy See has been tried in a foreign court, is part of the collateral damage the Vatican has incurred by deciding to prosecute 10 people for a series of financial crimes related to your money. lose investment in London.
The Vatican court in December convicted nine of the 10 peopleamong them Mincione and a cardinal, although their reasoning has not yet been published.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
