Pope names ex Rome chief prosecutor head of Vatican court

(ANSA) - Rome, October 3 - 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".