A long hearing was held today in Sassari court in the trial involving, among others, Antonino Becciu, brother of Cardinal Angelo, and Corrado Melis, bishop of Ozieri.
The two are facing charges of embezzlement and money laundering, along with Father Mario Curzu, director of the Diocesan Caritas of Ozieri; Father Francesco Ledda, treasurer of the Diocese of Ozieri; Giovanna Pani, deputy director of Caritas and a member of the Spes cooperative; and Maria Luisa Zambrano, the latter's daughter. Three others are charged with aiding and abetting: Franco Demontis, Luca Saba, Roberto Arcadu; and the third for allegedly providing false information to the prosecutor. The first six are charged with diverting 8 per thousand funds from the Diocese of Ozieri to the Spes cooperative, chaired by Becciu himself, from 2013 to 2016.
Two witnesses, Colonel Pasquale Pellecchia and Lieutenant Marco Casu, who were in charge of the investigation, were heard today by the public prosecutor Gianni Caria. They were both members of the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Finance Police). Questions focused specifically on an account opened in 2011 by the diocese and allegedly managed by Becciu, Curzu, and Pani. An account opened the previous year had been managed by priests and was closed in August of the following year with very little activity, according to the Finance Police official. Both transactions were carried out when the then bishop was Sergio Pintor, who remained in office until 2012, before Melis took office.
The defense, represented by attorneys Ivano Iai and Antonello Patané, objected to the references to alleged problems between the former leader of the Ozieri diocese and those described in the courtroom as the "Becciu entourage." However, the panel, chaired by Giancosimo Mura, with Monia Adami and Sara Pelicci on the sidelines, reserved the decision on whether or not to admit the documentation. Much of the hearing focused on the use of the aforementioned account, from which payments were made to Spes and through which various revenues passed, including, for example, those for the construction of a bakery.
The meaning of certain transactions, such as ATM withdrawals, bank transfers, and checks, labeled in some cases as "special" by Pellecchia, will be clarified in upcoming hearings. The next one is scheduled for November 26th.
