Financial operations allegedly
involving the Vatican's former secretary of state Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone have fallen under the lens of Roman prosecutors
and Italian finance police after the Vatican on Tuesday denied a
news report that the cardinal was under investigation by Vatican
prosecutors for alleged embezzlement.
Rome investigators have "monitored" a number of operations
involving the Italian production company Lux Vide, owned by
former head of RAI State TV Ettore Bernabei, 93, a veteran
producer friend of the 79-year-old cardinal.
Those controls fell under a larger probe into the Vatican
bank, known as the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR),
regarding suspected violations of anti-money laundering norms.
There is no specific criminal probe aimed at IOR loans to
Lux Vide, however, and Lux Vide said Thursday that it has not
been notified of any formal investigation into it or its
administrators.
The Vatican on Tuesday denied German daily Bild's report
that Cardinal Bertone was under investigation for alleged
embezzlement.
"There is no probe of a penal nature against Cardinal
Bertone," said spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, hours after
the German tabloid sparked an international storm.
Bild, citing "unofficial" Holy See sources, said the
once-powerful official embezzled 15 million euros from Vatican
coffers at the end of 2012.
Bertone maintained the report was an "invention", adding
that the transaction was conducted in a "normal" manner and that
former pope Benedict XVI "had been informed of the financial
transaction at Lux Vide".
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