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Vatican accountant arrested over £17m fraud

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9th Jul 2013
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Chief accountant of the Vatican Monsignor Nunzio Scarano has been arrested for attempting to bring £17m into Italy illegally from Switzerland.

The bishop was arrested alongside a member of the Italian secret service and a financial broker for plotting to allegedly smuggle the money in via a government plane.

The Daily Mail reported that Scarano has been ordered to remain at Rome’s Queen of Heaven prison until a decision has been made to indict him.

According to the official Vatican statement, the bishop has been suspended from duty at the administration of the patrimony of the apostolic see for more than a month.

“The Holy See has not yet received any request from the competent Italian authorities on the matter, but has confirmed its willingness to cooperate fully,” it read.

Scarano made a bid for house arrest on Friday, which was dismissed by a judge.

According to the Mail, Scarano worked at Deutsche Bank before taking his ecclesiastical vows.

He was already being investigated by police in his hometown of Salerno, southern Italy, for suspicious transactions involving his account in the Vatican bank (the institute for religious works), including alleged money laundering.

The second investigation involved the bishop reportedly taking £480,000 in cash out of his personal account into Italy to pay off some or his mortgage.

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By mydoghasfleas
10th Jul 2013 11:25

Jesus saves.....

The Pope invests

The Vatican money launders

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By The Black Knight
10th Jul 2013 11:39

oh come on

that's no more than 3 hail Mary's and two our fathers.

at least there's no one hanging upside down under London bridges this time.

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By mydoghasfleas
10th Jul 2013 11:50

Bunga Bunga

I don't know, it could be two full rosaries worth.

It might get interesting when we find out Burlesconi was involved.  I love the way it involves the Italian Government secret service and a government plane.  I note there is no hanging yet, as Black Knight points out, but he is suspended; it's not too far off from dangling off Blackfriars Bridge.

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7om
By Tom 7000
10th Jul 2013 14:10

I wonder

how did he get £17m into switzerland in the first place

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By The Black Knight
10th Jul 2013 14:26

he saved

Tom 7000 wrote:

how did he get £17m into switzerland in the first place

He saved up his pocket money

and a rich uncle left him some money, the rest he won on the horses.

I wonder how much more money is coming out of switzerland before they tax them.

did he take vow of poverty?

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7om
By Tom 7000
10th Jul 2013 14:37

pocket money

crumbs is pocket money taxable if you take it to Italy...I am not going there

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By Kryonic70x7
10th Jul 2013 21:10

Did anyone else notice this ?

“The Holy See has not yet received any request from the competent Italian authorities on the matter, but has confirmed its willingness to cooperate fully,”

Makes you wonder if they received something from the 'incompetent Italian authorities' that they aren't disclosing ? ? ?

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