Pope Francis has appointed
Giuseppe Pignatone, the former chief prosecutor of Rome, as the
new president of Vatican City State Tribunal, the Vatican said
in a statement on Thursday.
Pignatone, formerly a top anti-Mafia prosecutor, replaces
Giuseppe Dalla Torre.
The appointment means that, if it comes to trial, Pignatone
will judge a high-profile case of financial irregularities that
saw prosecutors seize documents from the offices of the city
state's Financial Information Authority (AIF) and its
Secretariat of State this week.
Five senior Vatican officials have been preventively
suspended in relation to a probe, news magazine L'Espresso
reported on Wednesday.
AIF Director Tommaso Di Ruzza is reportedly among the
suspended officials.
The Secretariat of State is the department in charge of the
Vatican's administration while the AIF is a financial oversight
body.
"It's a completely new and extraordinary experience," said
Pignatone.
"I thank the Holy Father for his trust which honours and
moves me.
"It's a new piece of my life after 45 years in the judiciary.
I hope to be able to give a contribution from my experience of
professional life in very various forms in the criminal sector.
There will certainly be the utmost commitment from me".
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