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| Bertone - Benedict's Secretary of Embezzlement? |
Nothing quite like taking money intended for charity and
church causes and “investing” it in your crony friend’s shady business.
Next, Bertone allegedly ordered the head of the Vatican bank
to bid for Milan's bankrupt San Raffaele hospital, founded by Don Luigi Verze,
a confidant of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi who enjoyed close ties
to the Italian secret services. Wiretaps reveal he may have been linked to an
alleged arson attack on a business rival.
By the time the Vatican bank chief, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi,
checked the hospital's books, the senior accountant had killed himself, debts
of €1.5bn were reported and a fraud inquiry was under way. Fearing what he
would uncover, the Vatican banker refused to invest.
Lost in the news last week of the butler's arrest was the
announcement that Gotti Tedeschi had been ousted by the board of the Vatican
bank, a move seen by many as Bertone's revenge for his disobedience.
Ironically, before he defied Bertone, Gotti Tedeschi had been among the
cardinal's key appointments, one of many that reportedly rankled the Vatican's career
staff of bureaucrats and diplomats.
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