Buying an expensive property in London in the distant 2012, said a new corruption scandal for the Vatican. Recently the authorities of the city-state have arrested Gianluigi of Butt, who managed to earn millions in a disastrous for the Vatican deal, which he himself supervised.Last week at the Vatican was arrested Gianluigi butt of Italian businessman, who during his career managed to become a member of the boards of Directors and even the CEO of several companies engaged in entirely different regions. And Mr. Butt was a broker and the Vatican Secretariat of State, assisting him in the purchase of luxury real estate in London. As believes a consequence, did the Italian businessman, in violation of several laws. The broker is accused “in extortion, embezzlement, fraud under aggravating circumstances and money laundering — crimes for which the Vatican law provides a penalty of deprivation of liberty for a term up to 12 years”, says the press service of the Holy see. Mr. Butt became the first person arrested in this corruption investigation. However, the investigation is interested in a likely fraudulent activity by not only Gianluigi the Butt, but also representatives of the Church. Many of them have already lost their jobs, and there is no guarantee that the arrest of the Italian businessman will be the one.Gianluigi, the Butt was buying expensive buildings in Chelsea to the Holy see. The Vatican in General often plays on the real estate market. In 2012, the Vatican acquired a stake in London’s building on Sloane Avenue for $165 million the transaction was carried out in the company of Mr. Butt, with the participation of several representatives of the Roman Curia. An interest in the property was acquired through a mortgage loan whose terms were too onerous for the Vatican. In addition, the value of the property over the years has not increased, but, on the contrary, greatly subsided because of the “Breccia”. As a result, the balance of the Holy see turned out to be unprofitable asset purchased on credit on very unfavorable terms. Himself Mr. Butt was the winner, receiving a lot of interest for the brokerage. And in 2018, the State Secretariat has asked the Institute for works of religion (IOR), performing the functions of the Vatican Bank, a new loan to buy the building immediately and get rid of the mortgage. It was then that the Director of the IOR suspect that this whole deal with the London real estate may be fraudulent, and initiated an internal investigation, which became involved in Gianluigi the Butt and Church representatives have signed him to a contract.October 1, 2019 in itself, the State Secretariat and in the Management of financial information (AIF) of the Holy prestOla is a legal entity of the Vatican established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 to oversee all financial operations of the Church, was raided by police. After that the whole system of control financial transactions of the Holy see, fell like a house of cards. The next day the media leaked the order of dismissal from five employees of the Secretariat and AIF at the Vatican. 13 Nov threatened the participation of the Vatican regulator in the Egmont Group — an international consortium of financial regulators from over 130 countries. The decision of the consortium AIF has retained his membership, but was suspended from work in a secure communication system, which is used for the exchange of confidential information within the framework of the international fight against money laundering and other financial crimes. On 18 November it became known about leaving of the head of the AIF, Rene Bruelhart, who had held the position since the establishment of the office. The official reason for his departure was the completion of a five-year contract that Pope Francis has decided not to renew. 19 Nov resigned a Board member of AIF mark Odendall, who explained his decision by saying that “there is no point in staying on the Board dummy”. For the Holy see this is not the first corruption scandal in recent years. So, at the beginning of 2017 to prison terms for the issuance of a questionable loan of €23 million in 2010 was sentenced two members of the Institute’s management of religious Affairs. At the end of 2018, the court of the Vatican issued its first-ever prison sentence for money laundering — the dubious honor of pioneering in this respect belongs to the Italian businessman Angelo Poletti. He was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment for withdrawal of funds from the accounts of their companies that passed the procedure of bankruptcy on one’s own account at the IOR. But over the last couple of years already scored two high-profile cases related to the Italian business and financial operations of the Roman Curia. Finally, last year the former head of the IOR was charged with money laundering and embezzlement in transactions with real estate.Pope Francis has said many times that the money received by the Church should not just lie in the accounts and welcomed their investment in any project which can bring profit to the Church, but did not violate ethical standards. What Pope Francis has created the AIF in 2013, to prevent any attempts of fraud by some members of the Curia, and leaving in past corruption scandals. However, come the Butt and the subsequent layoffs in the office talking about the fact that with this call the Vatican have not yet dealt, and around the Holy see gathered far from Holy servants.Kirill Saranac
