Vatican bank: Accounts of two managers seized
Bank says accounts held by concerned individuals at IOR have recently been seized
VATICAN CITY:
Two former Vatican bank managers and a lawyer have had their accounts seized as part of an investigation into allegations of embezzlement, the Vatican has said. The bank, officially known as the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), said it had pressed charges against the trio some months ago and “the accounts held by the concerned individuals at the IOR have recently been seized”. While the IOR would not provide details on the case “given the ongoing judicial enquiry”, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the Italian media the trio was suspected of embezzling money. Reports said they had siphoned off cash while managing the sale by the bank of 29 buildings. In a statement, the bank said the former managers and lawyer were under investigation based on “circumstances recorded between 2001 and 2008 that have emerged in the internal review process initiated in early 2013.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2014.
Two former Vatican bank managers and a lawyer have had their accounts seized as part of an investigation into allegations of embezzlement, the Vatican has said. The bank, officially known as the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), said it had pressed charges against the trio some months ago and “the accounts held by the concerned individuals at the IOR have recently been seized”. While the IOR would not provide details on the case “given the ongoing judicial enquiry”, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the Italian media the trio was suspected of embezzling money. Reports said they had siphoned off cash while managing the sale by the bank of 29 buildings. In a statement, the bank said the former managers and lawyer were under investigation based on “circumstances recorded between 2001 and 2008 that have emerged in the internal review process initiated in early 2013.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2014.