Italian prosecutor pursues murder charges in death of key figure in Vatican bank scandal

April 08, 2010

An Italian prosecutor is asking for life sentences against three Mafia figures for the death of Roberto Calvi, a key figure in the Italian banking scandal that touched the Vatican in the 1980s.

The prosecutor is appealing a not-guilty verdict for the three alleged killers, saying that the evidence "proves that this was murder."

Calvi was found hanging from Blackfriar's Bridge in London in 1982. While his death was originally ruled a suicide, the circumstances were highly suspicious. Calvi, who had been chairman of Italy's largest private bank, was accused of stealing huge sums from his clients, reportedly including Mafia bosses. He had built a shady financial empire, drawing on the cooperation of the Vatican bank, the Institute for Religious Works.

 

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Further information:

• Life terms sought in Calvi death (ANSA)