Investigation in Vatican scandal underway, a woman associated with Becciu arrested

The Vatican’s newest corruption scandal had all the essentials of a spy thriller: One cardinal who was sacked during a “surreal” night-time viewership with the pope. Another cardinal, the archenemy of the first, who came back victoriously to Rome after being cleared of sexual abuse charges in Australia. And a glorious extravagant apartment in London where the Holy See sank tens of millions of euros in donations from the devotees.

The only absent aspect was that of a surreptitious woman who asserted that she had association with the Italian secret services, and supposedly conned them all. The woman, Cecilia Marogna, is a 39-year-old political consultant. She was detained in Milan in Tuesday on an international merit by the Vatican which was later corroborated by the Italy’s financial police on Wednesday.

Marogna has been accused of committing fraud of about 500,000 euros ($590,000) in Vatican money for a consultancy she never really executed in the field of intelligence, employed out of a company with a Slovenian front and spending no less than half the money to purchase stuff from Prada, Chanel and other high-end brands.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu is the at the 2^nd position in the Vatican Secretariat of State, as per the Vatican records in Italian newspapers and in investigative television shows. He connected the money to Marogna’s logsic firm allegedly for charitable operations in Asia and Africa

Marogna’s involvement in the scandal

Marogna said to the media that she, being a political specialist and expert in intelligence, contacted Becciu in 2015 to address concerns regarding security for Vatican embassies in hot spots, following this, she was added to the cardinal’s close circle.

Marogna told Corriere della Sera that throughout the four years, Becciu transferred her 500,000 euros as reimbursement, travel settlements and consultancy costs after she portrayed herself with “a network of relationships in Africa and the Middle East to protect nunciatures and missions from environmental and terrorist risks.”

She upheld some luxury costs — designer wallets for instance — as being “maybe for the wife of a Nigerian friend who was in a position to talk to the president of Burkina Faso.”

Becciu has not been officially verified as a suspect in the matter, however when Francis acked him last month in front of a 20-minute evening viewership, Becciu said was “surreal,” Francis also anulled his rights and privileges as a bishop, which denotes that he can be adjudicated by Vatican courts.

Inquiry of the Vatican

Becciu is also from Sardinia, like Marogna, has refuted offence and secured the initial asset as comprehensive.

The inquiry of the Vatican has been strange, as it had been affected by disclosures by the media and press. They have described a positive progress of the inquiry and Francis’ monetary cleansing trials.

Italian Vatican observer Luis Badilla, stating in the widely read Vatican blog Il Sismografo, has cited that the new president of the Vatican criminal tribunal, an ex-Italian judge, is also an editorial critic for Italy’s La Repubblica publication, whose uncover last month ensued to Becciu’s ejection.