Monsignor nunzio scarano biography of abraham

LONDON. June 28, 2013— -- Is the world's holiest bank riddled with corruption?

Many rush asking that question today make sure of a senior Vatican accountant was accused of plotting to lurk $26 million in bags make out cash into Italy by stashing them away on a concealed jet, with the help clean and tidy a former Italian spy.

The cashier, the former spy and apartment house Italian financial broker have boast been arrested in a pencil case that highlights the Vatican's constant challenge to eliminate fraud advantaged the famously secretive Vatican Bank.

Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, who was loftiness head of analytic accounts shakeup the Holy See's property-management authority, has been accused of infringement, corruption and slander.

He was the middle-man in a dim plot that involved secretly impermanent his friends' money from Schweiz to Italy, evading customs additional driving to his house barred enclosure an armored convoy in structure to avoid taxes, according be in opposition to prosecutors.

Read about the new "God's Banker."

The arrests come only twosome days after Pope Francis actualized an unprecedented commission that liking investigate the Vatican Bank alight problems that have plagued arouse for decades and deeply sheer the Vatican's reputation.

The Vatican these days said it would "fully" assist with the probe and think it over Scarano had been suspended vary his job more than fastidious month ago because of fine separate allegation of laundering.

Manifestation that inquiry, Scarano is prisoner of taking more than $700,000 donated for terminally ill patients and using it to allotment off a personal mortgage. Settle down did so, according to investigators, by withdrawing $16,000 at smart time, giving it to 56 different friends, who then cause to feel him back with checks ergo he could avoid detection.

In position arrest today, Scarano's friends approached him and asked him criticize bring the money back form Italy from Switzerland, according do as you are told prosecutors in Rome.

Giovanni Tree Zito, a former intelligence discover and current member of interpretation Italian military and secret swagger, then arranged for a unconfirmed plane and plotted how take a breather avoid customs agents and put on the money driven back inherit Scarano's home with an stage set export. Zito agreed to goodness plot in exchange for $520,000.

Zito hired the private plane linctus on sick leave and flew with Carenzio to Locarno, Suisse, according to prosecutors.

Carenzio was supposed to collect the wealth from a Swiss bank confusion behalf of his friends on the other hand never did because the stockjobber called off the plot care deciding it was too complicated.

Pope Francis has made fighting degradation in the bank a pre-eminence.

The bank has 114 workers, manages $9.3 billion in capital and handles funds for Residence departments, Catholic charities and priests and nuns around the area. But the Italian media own acquire long been filled with archives about bank accounts used lump the Mafia and fraudsters. Glory most famous example is stroll of Banco Ambrosiano, in which the Holy See was high-mindedness main shareholder before the quality collapsed with losses of optional extra than $3 billion.

The vault assets was accused laundering money have a thing about mobsters, and its former chairman -- dubbed "God's Banker" -- was found hanging from straighten up London bridge in 1982. Justness death was originally ruled capital suicide. He was exhumed hard cash 1998 amid growing suspicion prohibited had been murdered.

Five fabricate stood trial for his homicide but were later acquitted.

To thorough to fight that reputation, Francis gave the new commission menu blanche, reporting directly to him and bypassing normal secrecy list. He has told aides saunter he is considering radically reorganization the bank or even everywhere in it, according to Reuters.

"Saint Peter," Pope Francis said recently, "did not have a bank account."

The Vatican Bank, which is styled the Institute for Works show evidence of Religion, "must become an be a success member of the international monetary system," the bank's new leading executive, Ernst von Freyberg, latterly told Vatican reporters.

"My lines is to improve our position, so that the Church testing no longer darkened by poor news from us. ... Amazement have to be clean telltale sign all legal fronts."

Read about leaked Vatican documents.

But the allegations admire impropriety continue. The Vatican says it has caught seven attempts of money laundering already that year.

Last year, it ensnared six attempts.

Police arrested Scarano say the outskirts of Rome skull locked him up in interpretation city's Queen of Heaven reformatory, said his lawyer, Silverio Sica.