Pope Francis Under Investigation for Alleged Illegal Wiretapping in £300m London Property Deal
Pope Francis is reportedly under scrutiny following allegations that he authorized illegal wiretaps related to the sale of a London property.
The purported authorization allegedly occurred during a Vatican probe into the “corrupt” sale of a £300 million London property.
This development follows a complaint lodged with the UN by the legal team of British financier Raffaele Mincione, accusing Pope Francis of procedural abuses during the trial.
Human rights lawyer Rodney Dixon KC asserted that the Pope permitted the wiretapping of Mr. Mincione’s phone as part of the investigation into alleged malpractices at the Vatican.
The trial revealed that the Pope allegedly sanctioned investigators to tap phones, intercept emails, and detain individuals without judicial approval.
According to Mirror UK, Pope Francis based his decisions on ancient laws granting him such authorization powers.
In his complaint, Mr. Dixon described the Pope as a “perpetrator” of human rights violations, stating: “This unqualified authorization by an absolute monarch enabled surveillance without specific justification, ongoing judicial oversight, or a means to contest the surveillance before an independent and impartial body.”
The Vatican accuses Mr. Mincione of defrauding it by inflating the price of a property when it invested £124 million in a former Harrods warehouse in Chelsea through a fund managed by Mr. Mincione.
Prosecutors charged Mr. Mincione and ten others, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former close associate of Pope Francis, with crimes such as fraud, embezzlement, and abuse of office.
Mr. Mincione faces charges of fraud, embezzlement, and abuse of office. The allegations state that he inflated the property’s value. However, Mr. Mincione contests these claims, asserting that independent experts correctly valued the property. The Vatican maintains that Mr. Mincione defrauded it by overpricing a £124 million investment in an old Harrods warehouse in Chelsea.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “My fundamental rights have been violated and disregarded. How is it justifiable that I face criminal penalties for breaches of spiritual law applicable only to Church members, which seemingly do not apply to others managing the Vatican’s investments, and of which I was unaware?
“This ordeal has been devastating for me and my family, and I sincerely hope the United Nations will seek justice in this matter.” A Vatican spokesperson responded: “The legitimacy of the investigations and the compliance of the Vatican judicial system with fair trial principles have been acknowledged by several foreign courts.”