A Vatican appeals court on Tuesday declared a partial mistrial in the prosecution that had produced a jail sentence for Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu over the alleged misuse of Church funds in a London property transaction.
Judges said procedural errors tainted the original trial tied to the flawed purchase of 60 Sloane Avenue in Chelsea, a deal valued at about £200 million (roughly €230 million or $265 million). Prosecutors were criticized for not providing defendants with complete case files and for improperly redacting materials, actions the court said compromised defendants’ rights and the ability to mount a full defense.
Becciu’s lawyers, Fabio Viglione and Maria Concetta Marzo, welcomed the ruling as vindication of their claims that defense rights had been violated. Becciu had been convicted in 2023 and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison, a verdict that made him the highest‑ranking Vatican official ever tried in a Vatican criminal court.
The appeals panel also found that a decree issued by then‑Pope Francis — which had allowed prosecutors to pursue cases without review by a preliminary judge — functioned as a new law but was void because it was never published. The court said the unpublished papal rescript could not validly be used in the original proceedings. Attorneys Massimo Bassi and Cataldo Intrieri, who represent former Vatican official Fabrizio Tirabassi, argued the ruling effectively nullifies the entire investigation and trial and said they expect swift acquittals at retrial.
Tribunal president Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo ordered prosecutors to submit all documentation “in their original form” by April 30. The defense has until June 15 to file motions ahead of a retrial scheduled to begin June 22.
The lengthy, two‑and‑a‑half‑year trial included about 86 hearings and revolved around a risky Vatican investment managed through a fund run by financier Raffaele Mincione. Prosecutors have said the Holy See lost at least €140 million on the transaction. Eight other defendants were convicted in December on various charges; they continue to deny wrongdoing and are appealing their convictions.
The case exposed opaque aspects of Vatican finances and internal disputes, and it touched on other allegations that arose during the probe, including purported ransom payments and claims of espionage. Observers have noted the affair underscores Pope Francis’ ongoing efforts to reform Vatican financial practices since he became pontiff in 2013.
Becciu, 77, was second in command at the Secretariat of State when the 2013 deal was struck and had once been considered a potential future pope. He was made a cardinal in 2018 and later asked by Francis to resign his prefectural post and renounce certain privileges amid the allegations. Although he has participated in some Church events, he was barred from taking part in the most recent papal conclave because of the case.
Current Pope Leo XIV, a canon lawyer, recently met with Vatican judges and prosecutors as the new judicial year opened. In remarks some interpreted as an indirect reference to the Becciu matter, he emphasized that respect for procedural safeguards, judicial impartiality, effective defense rights and reasonable case duration are essential to both justice and institutional stability.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko