CNA Staff, Oct 16, 2020 / 10:00 am
A self-described geopolitical analyst at the center of the most recent Vatican financial scandal is being held in an Italian jail pending extradition to the Vatican. Cecilia Marogna was arrested October 13 by Italian financial authorities after a warrant was issued by Vatican prosecutors through Interpol.
Marogna has said she worked for the Holy See's Secretariat of State as a security consultant and strategist. Vatican authorities reportedly issued the warrant on charges of aggravated embezzlement. She has acknowledged receiving hundreds of thousands of euros from the Vatican via her company registered in Slovenia, and confirmed use of the funds for the purchase of luxury items, including designer label handbags.
She has stated that the money all went to her Vatican consultancy work and her salary; expensive gifts, such as trips or purses, she said, "were used to create cooperative relationships."
Although a Milan court of appeal has upheld the execution of the warrant, lawyers for Marogna have appealed her extradition to Vatican City, a process that is expected to take as long as a month to complete. Pending the outcome of the appeal, Marogna is being held in a local jail after the Milan court deemed her a flight risk.