Vatican, asked for 7 years and 3 months for Cardinal Becciu

Vatican promoter of justice Alessandro Diddi has asked for 7 years and 3 months of prison for Cardinal Angelo Becciu .

In all, there are ten accused in the management of the funds of the Secretariat of State: the requests, overall, amount to 73 years and one month's imprisonment, plus disqualification and pecuniary penalties of various types.

The cardinal said he was "scarred as a man and as a priest" for the accusations received, forcefully rejected after reiterating his innocence.

THE DEFENSE – "The requests of the Promoter of Justice do not take into account the outcome of the trial, which demonstrated the Cardinal's absolute innocence for the operation relating to the Palace of London and for any other accusation". This is what the lawyers Maria Concetta Marzo and Fabio Viglione, defenders of Cardinal Angelo Becciu, declare.

«On the basis of theorems sensationally denied in the trial, the Promoter of Justice has continued to support a thesis detached from the evidence and we acknowledge this. As for the Promoter's requests, not even one day would be a fair penalty. Only the recognition of absolute innocence and full acquittal reflect what was ascertained in a very clear way. The Cardinal has always been a faithful servant of the Church and suffered in silence, defending himself in the process and actively participating in the hearings. By submitting himself to exhausting interrogations for several days, he clarified every misunderstanding, demonstrating absolute good faith and correctness".

THE DIOCESE OF OZIERI – «In the name and on behalf of the Diocese of Ozieri, represented by Bishop Corrado Melis, it is considered essential to express profound bitterness and human discomfort for the requests for condemnation formulated by the Promoter of Justice at the Vatican Tribunal against His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Becciu», wrote in a note the lawyer Ivano Iai who protects the Diocese of Ozieri.

«For the part of the indictment relating to the Sardinian front, of which we learn from the press, it is categorically denied that Cardinal Becciu has interfered or carried out interventions other than those pertaining to the institutional role in the management of the Diocese of Ozieri - specifies the lawyer - nor on the strictly administrative plan, nor to seek favors or benefits for the personal benefit of third parties, much less his family members or people close to His Eminence. The accounts of the Diocese have always been administered, under the supervision of the bodies in charge, according to the canons of the law of the Church and of the Italian State and there has never been, on the part of anyone, profit or benefit obtained for purposes unrelated to the charitable destination and solidarity of the resources administered for various reasons by the Diocese and by Caritas, considered jointly on the basis of the common purpose implemented by the two religious bodies".