‘Probe’ into Vatican money transfer

AUSTRALIAN state police said yesterday they were not investigating the transfer of money from the Vatican to Australia, throwing doubt on Italian media speculation that it might be linked to the overturned convictions of Cardinal George Pell for child sex abuse.

Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera speculated in recent weeks that Vatican investigators were looking into whether Pell’s nemesis at the Holy See, ousted Cardinal Angelo Becciu, wired €700 000 (about R134 million)) in Vatican money to a bank account in Australia, and whether that money was tied to Pell’s sex abuse trial.

Victoria Police, which in 2017 charged Pell with child sex abuse, said the Australian intelligence agency responsible for detecting international financial crime, Austrac, had confirmed that Vatican money had been wired to Australia.

But Austrac had “not advised Victoria

Police of any suspicious activity related to these transactions,” the police department said.

“In the absence of any other evidence or intelligence, Victoria Police has noted the advice from Austrac. We are not at this time conducting any further investigation,” a police statement said.

But it does not rule out criminality or corruption in the money transfers.

Australian Federal Police said on Wednesday it was “undertaking a review of the relevant information” provided by Austrac. A review of evidence is a preliminary step toward an official criminal investigation.

The Federal Police has also referred information to the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission, an anti-graft agency that investigates the state public sector, including police. The commission has declined comment “for legal and operational reasons”. | AP