Italy probes bishop alleged fraud

Rasa - Italian prosecutors are investigating a case of alleged embezzlement by a Vatican archbishop, media reports say.

News ID: 2605

Date: 29 May 2015 - 00:31

RNA - Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, a Vatican official, is being investigated for allegations of price fixing and embezzlement during the sale of San Girolamo, a historic castle in central Italy, to real estate company IMI Immobiliare four years ago, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday.

Two employees, in the diocese of Terni where Paglia was the bishop, have already been arrested for the suspicious sale of the castle. One of the employees headed IMI Immobiliare back then.

According to the prosecutor for the city of Terni, Paglia is alleged to be one of the instigators of the fraud.

Though the Terni diocese is one of the most indebted in Europe, with a deficit of some $27 million, the money received from the sale of the castle is missing from the funds.

Seventy-year-old Paglia was the diocese bishop from 2000 to 2012. In 2012, he was appointed by Pope Benedict to the Pontifical Council for the Family, which promotes and protects family interests in the church.

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