Former Vatican auditor cleared of bribery in Zurich trial

The Zurich District Court acquitted a former financial markets supervisor at the Vatican of charges of corruption and bribery on Wednesday. Prosecutors had demanded a five-year prison sentence for the 52-year-old Swiss man. The court, however, ruled that the accusation of corruption had not been proven. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The defendant’s contact person, a private detective, did ask an Austrian secret service agent for information, said the judge at the opening of the trial. “But it is doubtful that he revealed any secrets”. In other cases too, the court questioned whether secret information had been passed on to the former Vatican official. It is also unclear whether the information given by the detective reflects truthful information, for example about the amounts paid. Finally, the court did not find enough evidence that the Swiss had directly incited civil servants to reveal secret information. Possible appeal Through his lawyer, the ...