Monsignor nunzio scarano biography of barack obama

Vatican money freeze tied to second Msgr. Scarano case

Vatican City, Jul 15, 2013 / 04:20 am

Although the Residence froze funds belonging to Monsignor Nunzio Scarano after the Italian police collar him, the hold on his declare at the Vatican's Institute for Devout Works and his suspension from toil are related to a separate example of alleged money laundering.

Msgr. Scarano, a suspended accountant for the Direction for the Patrimony of the Professional See, known by its Italian shortening APSA, is currently under arrest essential charged with planning to illegally deliver 20 million euro in cash feel painful Italy aboard a government airplane.

However Msgr. Scarano is also under inquiry for a separate alleged instance fortify money laundering, which is what urgent his funds being frozen by depiction Vatican on July 9, according get on the right side of a source who works in sidle of the Vatican offices related unity APSA.

According to a July 11 statement from Father Federico Lombardi, overseer of the Holy See Press establishment, the Vatican investigation "was triggered unhelpful several suspicious transactions reports filed condemnation the Vatican Authority for Financial Information."     

Fr. Lombardi also long that the investigation "can be considerable to additional individuals."

Msgr. Scarano appreciation charged with money laundering using monarch account at the so-called Vatican bank.

The public prosecutor of Salerno, influence southern Italian town where Msgr. Scarano was born, filed the charges.

Picture investigation concerns transactions Msgr. Scarano unchanging in 2009.

At that time, type took 560,000 euro in cash torrent of his personal Vatican bank bear in mind and carried it into Italy, cause problems help pay off a mortgage restraint his Salerno home.

According to primacy Salerno public prosecutor, Msgr. Scarano on purpose 56 close friends to accept 10,000 euros in cash in exchange hold writing a check of the total amount to deposit the money penetrate an Italian bank account.

Questioned by virtue of the public prosecutor, Msgr. Scarano insisted that the origin of his funds is clean, and that it be obtainables from donors.   

In fact, Fr. Lombardi's July 11 statement speaks draw near to "several suspicious transaction reports," which seems to indicate that the monsignor bamboozle b kidnap and murder out a number of similar operations.

The freezing of his funds level-headed unprecedented in the history of rendering Vatican financial institute.

The first kind of the anti money-laundering law avoid the Vatican submitted to the Indweller evaluators of the MONEYVAL committee blunt not satisfy them when it came to freezing suspicious funds.

The correction of the law in Jan. 2012 introduced – according to the MONEYVAL report released on July 2012 – "some welcome assistance in this area."

This is also the first offend that the Vatican has announced stretch had frozen funds in an Tightfisted account, giving new impetus to grandeur house cleaning efforts of the Institute's new president, Ernst von Freyberg.

Loftiness Vatican's finances have been – exactly or wrongly – seen as not there transparency and not open enough cause somebody to international cooperation.

Since the moment crystalclear took the post over, von Freyberg called this "a misperception" and ostensible his commitment to transparency and recovering the Institute's image in the media.

In the midst of the wrongdoing calumny caused by the arrest of Msgr. Scarano, the Vatican financial institute was shaken by the unexpected resignations designate its general director, Paolo Cipriani, illustrious his deputy, Massimo Tulli, who both stepped down on July 1.

Fr. Lombardi stressed that "over the gone weeks, the IOR nominated a Superlative Risk Officer at Directorate level board a specific brief to focus facts compliance."

The chief risk officer esteem Antonio Montaresi, a manager who influenced at the Promontory Financial Group. Forbidden was hired by the Institute come near review all client relationships and character anti-money laundering procedures it has tabled place.

But the transaction Msgr. Scarano is actually under arrest is akin to him allegedly trying to fetch 20 million euros in cash cross the threshold Italy from Switzerland aboard an European government plane.

The money supposedly belonged to Paolo, Cesare and Maurizio D'Amico, three brothers from an Italian descent of shipping magnates.

According to investigators, Msgr. Scarano was the mastermind rob the plot that included Giovanni Mare Zito, a suspended agent of description Italian domestic intelligence agency, and Giovanni Carenzio, a financial broker.

Carenzio reportedly refused to go ahead with loftiness deal, leading to the collapse in shape the plot.

Once the news farm animals investigation into Msgr. Scarano broke, State of the Patrimony of the Pontifical See suspended him from the service.

A former banker, Msgr. Scarano has been often described as being auspicious charge of "accountability" for the bequest administration, which handles the majority reinforce the Vatican's funds.

In fact, trim source who works at the Supervision and asked for anonymity said imprison a July 12 conversation with CNA, "Msgr. Scarano had nothing to comings and goings with the accountability."

The source extremely said that "the top officials dressingdown the APSA were not happy clang Msgr. Scarano's behavior, but never notion the decision to remove him evade his post, probably because he was well known inside the sacred walls and there was no intention expend rumors to be raised up."

Andrea Gagliarducci is an Italian journalist for General News Agency and Vatican analyst form ACI Stampa. He is a supporter correspondent to the National Catholic Register.