SENTENCE OF THE TRIBUNAL OF VATICAN CITY STATE AGAINST PAOLO GABRIELE

Vatican City,  (VIS) - The Tribunal of Vatican City State today delivered the following sentence in the trial of Paolo Gabriele, who is accused of aggravated theft.

The accused Paolo Gabriele is declared "guilty of the offence under article 404 paragraph 1/1 of the Criminal Code, for abusing the trust inherent in relationships deriving from his professional responsibilities, and stealing items which - by virtue of those relationships and on the basis of the trust placed in him - were left unattended and in full view.

"For this reason the Tribunal sentences him to prison for a period of three years.

"Pursuant to article 26 of the Law of 21 June 1969, in view of the accused's lack of a criminal record, his record of service in the period prior to the facts in question, the subjective (though mistaken) belief identified by the accused as the motive for his conduct, as well as his own statement of his awareness of having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, the Tribunal reduces the sentence to imprisonment for one (1) year and six (6) months, and orders the guilty party to defray the costs of the trial.

"Signed: Giuseppe Dalla Torre, president; Paolo Papanti-Pelletier; Venerando Marano, and Raffaele Ottaviano, substitute registrar".