Angelo Becciu, who was one of the most influential cardinals in the Vatican, previously close to Pope Francis, was sentenced on Saturday by a Vatican court to five and a half years in prison for embezzlement, writes Reuters.

Becciu, 75, a former close adviser to Pope Francis, is the most senior Catholic Church official to appear before the Vatican’s criminal tribunal.

Fabio Villione, Becciu’s lawyer, told reporters in the courtroom that he would appeal the verdict, saying his client was innocent.

In total, in the trial – which lasted two and a half years – ten people are accused of various crimes, including fraud, abuse of office and money laundering. They all denied the facts.

The head of the court, Giuseppe Pignatone, needed 25 minutes to read out all the verdicts, writes Reuters.

Beccia, like the other nine defendants, was found guilty on some counts and found not guilty on others.

The corruption case concerns the purchase of a luxury building in London for 350 million euros between 2014 and 2018 with the investment of the Holy See.

In September 2020, Angelo Becciu, one of the most influential Vatican cardinals, resigned from the government of the Holy See.

After his career as an ambassador, the Italian prelate served for seven years as undersecretary of state, equivalent to the “minister of the interior”, in constant contact with Pope Benedict and then with Pope Francis. In the summer of 2018, he assumed the position of head of the administration of the Holy See, responsible for the investigation and resolution of beatification and canonization cases.