Italian priest charged with defrauding hospital
April 04, 2013
An Italian priest has been arrested on fraud charges at a hospital where mounting deficits forced the Vatican to intervene.
Police charge that Father Franco Decaminada took €4 million ($5.1 million) from the Immaculata Institute of Dermopathology (IDI), and used the funds to buy a villa in Tuscany. Two others are being investigated in the case, in which €14 million was reportedly taken from the hospital’s accounts.
The budget deficits at the IDI had threatened the solvency of the institution, and hospital staff members were not being paid. In February, just before his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI stepped in, appointing a Vatican official to supervise the administration of the hospital.
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Further information:
- Italian priest accused of theft, mismanagement at hospital that prompted (AP)
- Italian priest arrested for 4 million-euro fraud (AFP)
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