Tommaso Di Ruzza, director of the AIF, speaks at a briefing on the authority’s annual report, alongside Alessandro Gisotti and Rene Bruelhart, May 21, 2019. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
The former director of the Vatican’s internal financial watchdog said on Wednesday that he acted correctly to investigate a London property deal and had no power to stop it.
He also said that Pope Francis wanted his office to support the Vatican Secretariat of State’s negotiations in the final part of the deal.
Tommaso Di Ruzza was questioned during an April 27 hearing in the ongoing Vatican trial to prosecute 10 people on criminal charges mostly related to the Secretariat of State’s purchase of an investment property in London.
Di Ruzza worked in the Vatican from 2011 and was director of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF) from 2016 to January 2020. The AIF was renamed the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF) in December 2020.
The former director of the Vatican’s internal financial watchdog said on Wednesday that he acted correctly to investigate a London property deal and had no power to stop it.
He also said that Pope Francis wanted his office to support the Vatican Secretariat of State’s negotiations in the final part of the deal.
Tommaso Di Ruzza was questioned during an April 27 hearing in the ongoing Vatican trial to prosecute 10 people on criminal charges mostly related to the Secretariat of State’s purchase of an investment property in London.
Di Ruzza worked in the Vatican from 2011 and was director of the Vatican’s Financial Information Authority (AIF) from 2016 to January 2020. The AIF was renamed the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (ASIF) in December 2020.
Di Ruzza also testified that Pope Francis had asked him to support the secretariat’s efforts to regain control of the London property from Torzi, echoing testimony given by Brülhart during another hearing earlier this month.
During questioning on April 5, Brülhart said that both Pope Francis and Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, the Secretariat of State’s second-in-command, wanted the deal with Torzi to be concluded “under any circumstances.”
Other witnesses in the trial have also said that Pope Francis approved the Secretariat of State’s payment which concluded the negotiations with Torzi.
The trial will continue on May 5 with the questioning of Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
Source: CNA