Vatican court hands down historic money laundering verdict

On Thursday, the Holy See Press Office released a statement announcing that Angelo Proietti was found guilty of money laundering on 17 December. The statement says that Proietti  was handed a prison sentence of two years and six months. In addition, the judge ordered the confiscation of the more than € 1 million seized by Vatican authorities in 2014.

The Holy See’s statement continues to say that the investigation was a collaborative one between the Office of the Promoter of Justice, the Financial Intelligence Authority, the Vatican City State Gendarmerie, and Italy.

Lastly, the statement says that this decisions “assumes fundamental importance” in the Vatican’s efforts to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Historic verdict

This is the first time that the Vatican has prosecuted someone for this offence since it became a criminal offense in the Vatican in 2010 as part of the Vatican’s financial reform.