Vatican body publishes report on suspicious financial activities

Vatican body publishes report on suspicious financial activities
June 13, 2022, 9:41 pm

Pilgrims and followers gather to hear Pope Francis ahead of The Angelus Prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, The Vatican on August 15, 2018, on The Feast of Assumption. (File photo)

The Vatican's Financial Supervision and Information Authority (ASIF) has received 104 reports of suspicious activities over the past year.

A according to the supervisory body's annual report, published on Monday (June 13), the majority came from the Vatican's bank, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), as well as from five Vatican authorities.

The report said, ASIF investigated potential cases of money laundering, while it didn't receive any reports connected to the "financing of terrorism.”

The authority submitted 21 reports to the Office of the Promoter of Justice, the highest number in five years, the Anews reported, citing the DPA.

It said that the reports often concerned foreign authorities or activities abroad, including tax evasion and fraud.

Following years of scandals, Pope Francis is seeking to improve the Vatican's record on financial transparency after decades in which its IOR bank was known as a haven for money laundering.

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Among other things, he withdrew jurisdiction from the Holy See's top authority, the Secretariat of State, at the end of 2020 and concentrated capital and real estate assets with the asset management company APSA.

ASIF, which was established by Benedict XVI in 2010, is responsible for monitoring the money flows of the Holy See and the Vatican and preventing money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

In a first report from 2012, the Council of Europe's expert committee Moneyval to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism criticized the fact that the Vatican did not provide sufficient sanctions for authorities or leaders, among other things.

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It should be noted that in 2021, Moneyval said in a renewed assessment that the Vatican had improved its efforts to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Source: anews

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