After more than two years – and 86 hearings later – Becciu was today sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for fraud. From 2011 to 2018, he headed the Secretariat for General Affairs in Vatican City, a department involved in investments the Church makes worldwide to raise money.
Becciu is said to have committed fraud for years. For example, he used money from the Pope’s charity fund to purchase luxury real estate. He is also said to have given money to relatives. In addition to the Italian cardinal, there were nine other suspects. One of them is a woman from Sardinia who received hundreds of thousands of euros from the cardinal.
Becciu had to resign as head of the Holy See’s Secretariat of State in 2020 following an investigation ordered by Pope Francis. A number of other people allegedly involved also lost their jobs.