The former Vatican Auditor General, Libero Milone, has decided to take legal action against the Vatican Secretariat of State.
In 2015, he was commissioned by Pope Francis to review the accounts, balances and operations of all the Vatican departments—which number more than a hundred. However, in 2017, he was fired for allegedly overstepping his duties by commissioning a company to spy on senior curial officials.
Milone denies the accusation and argues that his dismissal had to do with the resistance he encountered when doing his job, especially from the Secretariat of State's Office.
LIBERO MILONE
Former Vatican Auditor General
I always acted within the framework of the rules dictated by the charter and by the Holy Father, who was my only superior.
What had we gotten close to? That is the question. What had we seen or thought that we had seen that was causing problems there.
In a meeting with the press, Milone cited dozens of alleged irregularities he found in the Vatican—from plastic bags with half a million euros inside a cardinal's office to money gaps of hundreds of thousands of euros left by not claiming rent or paying loans. He also commented on the lack of cooperation he encountered during his two years of work and even claimed that viruses were installed in his computer to spy on his work.
He says his only consolation is that all those he accuses of undermining his efforts no longer work at the Vatican. But, that does not mean that transparency and good economic practices are in place.
LIBERO MILONE
Former Vatican Auditor General
Are there the people willing and able to do it? I don't know. I have been out for five years and so, I don't know the new people. I do see, however, that all the people who were involved in this story in some way are no longer there. And I wonder why.
Milone came to the Vatican as an experienced auditor. He advised several multinational companies and was president of Deloitte in Italy.
Now, he wants to take his case to the Vatican courts. They are currently working on the case of Cardinal Angelo Becciu and 9 other people accused of alleged mismanagement that led to the Vatican losing millions.
JRB
TR: KG
