A Vatican monsignor who’s already facing charges for his alleged role in a plot to smuggle $26 million from Switzerland to Italy is now under fire for a different crime: He’s accused of using his very own accounts at the Vatican bank to launder money.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano has been accused of having used his Vatican bank accounts to transfer millions of dollars in fake donations from companies that reside in offshore locations, police in Salerno said on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Scarano’s attorney refuted those allegations and said his client was simply accepting money from charitable individuals who were under the impression they were funding housing for terminally ill patients.
Mr. Scarano is currently on trial in Rome. He was arrested in July for the smuggling charges, but allowed to remain in his home — confined and watched — because of his poor health.
Police said Tuesday during his new arrest that they also seized millions of dollars tied to the emerging charges.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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