To overturn the first-instance ruling due to Pope Francis's "rescripts" (i.e., papal acts) that changed the rules during the proceedings, and to acquire the documents from the Striano case, those relating to the investigation into the dossiers compiled by the Guardia di Finanza lieutenant under investigation in Perugia, which implicated virtually all of the defendants in the trial. With these requests from the defense, the trial regarding the confidential funds of the Vatican Secretariat of State is recommenced. This trial saw a cardinal in the dock for the first time, former prefect and former deputy Angelo Becciu, who is present in court today. Becciu was convicted in the first instance (5 years and 6 months) of embezzlement but has always maintained his innocence.
Yesterday, the courtroom resumed after a recess imposed by prosecutor Alessandro Diddi's request for recusal before the Vatican Supreme Court (composed of five cardinals), which was overridden by Diddi's last-minute abstention from the trial. Thus, yesterday, Deputy Prosecutor Roberto Zannotti and the lawyers representing the various defenses appeared before the Court of Appeal. Mario Zanchetti, representing broker Gianluigi Torzi, focused on Pope Francis's rescripts, those legislative acts that follow papal hearings and then have the force of law overriding any previous law. In effect, they are retroactive. "The arrest of my client and the seizure of his devices," he said, referring to Torzi's arrest in the Vatican on June 5, 2020, "were illegal because they were carried out on the basis of a provision unknown to the defense, namely the rescript of July 2, 2019." The lawyer questioned whether these were administrative or regulatory acts and stated: "Rights can only be violated by legal provisions," the provision "turns the Vatican Code of Criminal Procedure fascist."
(Unioneonline)
