Vatican Court Rejects Appeal by Former Financial Auditor Libero Milone

On 22 July, the Vatican Court rejected an appeal from Libero Milone, 76. Milone was the Vatican's auditor general from 2015 to 2017. He sued the Vatican for wrongful dismissal, demanding several million euros in damages.

He claimed to have found evidence of systematic corruption 'at the highest level' within the Vatican. However, he was suddenly dismissed in September 2017 amid considerable pressure from the Vatican Gendarmerie. Milone basically argued that Angelo Becciu, who was substitute in the Secretariat of State at the time, had forced him out of his job for being too good at it.

The judges wrote: "With regard to the compensation claim under consideration, it is not so much the lack of passive standing of the Secretariat of State that must be affirmed, but rather the groundlessness of the claim brought against it. Consequently, the claim must be dismissed."

Milone has now practically no judicial options.

In January 2024, the Vatican court had already dismissed an initial lawsuit against the dismissal. At the time, the reasoning was that the dismissal was a 'papal act' that could not be challenged in court.

As there had been a change in the papacy during the appeal proceedings, the media speculated that the new Pope, Leo XIV, might intervene and vindicate Milone. However, this was apparently not the case.

Picture: Vatican Media, #newsRqrzgkomhw