The Vatican Court of Appeal has ordered a partial retrial in the high-profile London property finance case, ruling that key parts of the original proceedings were invalid due to procedural issues.
In a March 17 decision, judges found a “relative nullity” in the trial involving the Secretariat of State’s investment in a London building, widely known as the “trial of the century.” The ruling does not overturn the original trial or its verdicts but requires that portions of the case be reheard.
The court determined that four decrees issued by Pope Francis during the investigation — which altered procedural rules and were not publicly promulgated — undermined the legitimacy of some investigative acts.
As a result, prosecutors must refile the full body of evidence by April 30, with a new timetable for proceedings to follow.
The original trial concluded in 2023 after 86 hearings, with nine of 10 defendants receiving prison sentences totaling more than 37 years and roughly 200 million euros (about $231 million) in damages ordered.
Defense attorneys had long argued that the case was compromised by incomplete evidence filings and procedural irregularities. The appeals court upheld many of those objections while maintaining that the first-instance judgment still carries legal effect.
The case centers on the Secretariat of State’s controversial investment in a luxury London property along with related financial dealings involving Cardinal Angelo Becciu and other defendants.
The ruling marks a major development in the Vatican’s most complex financial prosecution in recent history and raises fresh uncertainty about the durability of the original convictions.
