Vatican Corruption Trial Ends with Senior Cardinal's Conviction

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the highest-ranking Catholic Church official to face trial in a Vatican criminal court, has been convicted of embezzlement and fraud and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail. The trial, which lasted for two-and-a-half years, centered around the controversial purchase of a building in London by the Vatican's Secretariat of State. Becciu was found guilty of irresponsible investment and funneling money to companies controlled by his brothers. Other defendants, including financiers Raffaele Mincione and Gianluigi Torzi, were also convicted. The court ordered Becciu and others to repay over 100 million euros to the Vatican.