‘Godfather-like’ Vatican cash trail is now a very real drama in the case of George Pell

Pressure is mounting over mysterious cash transfers and allegations of attempts to meddle in the trial of George Pell.

Pope Francis talking with Australian Cardinal George Pell during a private audience at the Vatican.Picture: VATICAN MEDIA / AFP

There are now firmer grounds for an investigation into the mysterious transfers of more than $2m from the Vatican to Melbourne and allegations of attempts to adversely affect the trial of Cardinal George Pell for child sexual abuse. Federal and state authorities are now under more pressure to resolve the twin issues of the transfer of murky millions and allegations raised during Vatican investigations that Pell’s prosecution was perverted.

Three weeks ago, Australia was suddenly pulled into investigations concerning international fraud involving Vatican funds when Italian newspapers reported that Vatican investigators had been told $1.1m had been secretly sent to Australia to adversely ­affect Pell’s trial.

On Monday night these allegations spectacularly took solid shape when NSW Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was told in the Senate that there were transfers, that they were being checked and that there were grounds for further investigations.

There is still no official link being made between the transfers and the Pell trial, but what was a fluid conspiracy theory suddenly has more weight.

No fewer than four investigating agencies — the international financial transfer watchdog Austrac, the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-­corruption Commission — are now involved in examining the money transfers to Australia.

Meanwhile, Vatican investigators in Rome are looking at an international scandal ­involving millions of dollars in ­improper payments, opaque transfers, lavish spending and fraudulent activity surrounding a $363m property investment in London.

As the scandal grows, there have been two arrests on charges of fraud, embezzlement and money laundering; five suspensions of senior Vatican officials; and the sacking of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu from his high-ranking position running the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Cardinal Becciu, who has denied all wrongdoing, was the deputy secretary of state until 2018 and had a well-known rivalry with Cardinal Pell when the latter was appointed as the head of Vatican finances. Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera have reported that Vatican investigators were told money was sent to Australia to help the case against Cardinal Pell, a claim yet to be substantiated.

In a statement, Cardinal Becciu said: “I categorically deny interfering in any way in the trial of Cardinal Pell.”

But the claims and the existence of transfers — which The Australian has revealed were more than $2m wired to Australia between February 2017 and June 2018 — gave Austrac something to look at. The four transfers connected to the Vatican secretariat covered the period from when Victorian police were preparing briefs for charges against the cardinal up to the committal hearing and two trials.

After examining the transfers, Austrac deemed there was “actionable financial intelligence” in relation to serious crime. It sent ­secret details to the AFP and Victoria Police for investigation. So, Austrac has confirmed the existence of suspect money transfers from Italy and considered them serious enough to be investigated.

The AFP and Victoria police now have the financial intelligence and can conduct investigations because Austrac has no investigatory powers. But the AFP not only looked at the Austrac intelligence itself but also passed the “actionable financial intelligence” directly to the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

The significance of the passing of Austrac information from the AFP to IBAC is that the anti-corruption body’s charter is to “identify and prevent serious corrupt conduct across the whole (Victorian) public sector” which includes public servants, police, the judiciary and even members of parliament.

There is no proof or official suggestion that anyone from the Vatican or Victoria has done anything at all wrong, let alone in regard to Cardinal Pell who was charged in June 2017 with a series of sexual assault offences. He was acquitted of the charges by the High Court in April this year.

But what was unsubstantiated, Hollywood-style Godfather film talk three weeks ago is now deemed “actionable financial intelligence of serious crime” and is being looked at by four separate criminal and corruption bodies covering international financial crimes, money laundering and serious corruption of public officials.

It may all come to nothing. There may be no link to Pell’s trial and the money may have been for renovating the Vatican embassy in Canberra. But now, at long last, various Australian authorities are investigating.