They also argue that Msgr. Alberto Perlasca, a former head of the administrative office at the First Section of the Secretariat of State, was properly authorized by the Vatican to sign the relevant contracts and agreements for the deal.
The documents include the text of a letter, signed by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who became sostituto at the Secretariat of State in June 2018, replacing Cardinal Angelo Becciu.
In the letter, Peña Parra grants Perlasca "the widest powers relating to what will be provided for under the contracts, with promise of full ratification and approval." Although the date of the letter is not included in the London court filings, it references other dates and events, showing it was signed after Nov. 11, 2018.
Perlasca was the head of the Secretariat of State's administrative office from 2009 until July 2019, when Pope Francis appointed him Promoter of Justice at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature; chief prosecutor of the Church's highest ecclesiastical court.
Perlasca's home and offices were raided in February, 2020, as part of ongoing investigations into financial misconduct at the Secretariat of State. Perlasca is now widely reported to be acting as a cooperating witness with Vatican prosecutors.
A Letter of Comfort, sent by the secretariat to Mincione's company Athena, after Nov. 22, is quoted in the court filings saying "We hereby further confirm that (a) Gutt is instructed and has full authority to pursue the transaction as purchaser on behalf of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and (b) Gutt will be fully funded via equity by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See in order to pursue the transaction."
Specifically detailed in Peña Parra's letter delegating authority to Perlasca is the agreement for Mincione's company to transfer ownership of the London building to Torzi's company Gutt SA, and for the Holy See to acquire 30,000 ordinary shares of Gutt, intended to give the secretariat effective ownership of Gutt and the building.
The figure of 30,000 shares is significant. Corporate documents seen by CNA show that in an extraordinary general meeting on 22 November, 2018, Gutt was reorganized, converting the company's 31,000 shares into 30,000 ordinary shares and 1,000 Class A voting shares. The Vatican acquired the 30,000 ordinary shares, giving it an apparently overwhelming majority stake in the company, but Torzi retained control of the 1,000 voting shares, effectively keeping control of the company and the London building.
According to multiple media reports, it was Torzi's alleged efforts to exact a further fee of millions of euros from the Vatican in exchange for these final shares, and therefore control of the company and building, that led to his arrest earlier this year.
One day following the extraordinary general meeting, on Nov. 23, a lay official who oversaw investments at the secretariat, Fabrizio Tirabassi, was appointed a director of Gutt. He was removed as a director on December 27, 2018.
Tirabassi, is one of five Vatican employees suspended in October 2019, following a raid conducted by Vatican gendarmes, who seized computers and documents related to financial dealings at the department. Tirabassi has not since returned to work, and it is unclear whether he remains employed.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.
As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
In the court filings, Mincone's legal team argue that his role the sale of the London building to the Vatican via Torzi was in accord both with the law, and the secretariat's explicit instructions, and ask the court to effectively prohibit any attempt by the Vatican to nullify contracts or the sale itself.
Ed Condon is a canon lawyer and worked as Catholic News Agency's Washington DC editor until December 2020.