Former Vatican financial expert involved in the Cardinal Becciu case acquitted of multiple bribery charges

Former Vatican financial expert, René Brülhart acquitted in Zurich

The former director of the Vatican's Financial Information Authority (FIA), René Brülhart from Fribourg, was acquitted on July 17, 2025, by a Zurich court of corruption charges against him. Also indicted by the Vatican in the "London building" affair, the lawyer had been sentenced to only a small fine.

The Zurich District Court has dismissed the proceedings against the Pope's former banking supervisor, reports the German-language newspaper NZZ. In November 2024, the Zurich Public Prosecutor's Office filed a complaint against the man from Fribourg, notably for multiple bribery of foreign public officials. The charges related to the improper acquisition of economic information from 2014 to 2016. The financial expert contested the charges.

The Zurich court supports the defence

Based on its investigations, the Public Prosecutor's Office had spoken of a "well-established corruption scheme" in which René Brülhart allegedly participated. The prosecution sought a five-year prison sentence for multiple bribery of foreign public officials and incitement to violate official secrecy.

The Zurich court, however, considered that there was no evidence that the information obtained by René Brülhart through a German private intermediary with a history of working with the Stasi (the East German secret service) was secret and therefore violated official secrecy. The court therefore supported the defense's arguments.

A vigorous financial watchdog at the Vatican

René Brülhart rose to international prominence as the Pope's banking watchdog. From November 2012, he worked for the Vatican Financial Supervisory Authority (AIF), first as a director and later as its president. This authority, created in 2010, is responsible for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The lawyer emerged as an energetic monitor and played a key role in scrutinizing the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), sometimes referred to as the "Vatican Bank," as well as other Vatican authorities. However, in November 2019, his term as president was not extended.

In addition to his management duties at the AIF, the financial expert was a member of the boards of directors of various Zurich-based companies in the consulting and analysis sector. The related business activities led to the legal proceedings in Zurich.

Intermediary sentenced in Germany

According to media reports, the German intermediary who provided information to René Brülhart was sentenced in Germany to nearly three years in prison for bribing police officers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to obtain information. According to the German-language newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, a contact of the Zurich cantonal police has already been definitively sentenced in this case.

Lenient fine in the "London building" case

René Brülhart was one of ten figures summoned by the Vatican judiciary in the so-called "London building" case. The biggest financial scandal of Francis's pontificate involved a series of embezzlements related to the acquisition of a luxury building in the British capital by the Secretariat of State. On December 16, 2023, seven of the defendants were convicted of fraud, embezzlement, corruption, or abuse of power related to the real estate transaction and suspicious payments. Among them, Cardinal Angelo Becciu was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, a fine of €8,000, and a permanent ban from holding public office.

René Brülhart was acquitted by the Vatican court of the charge of participating in embezzlement and fraudulent schemes. The court found him guilty only of failing to report the suspicious acts to the Vatican judiciary and sentenced him to a fine of 1,750 euros.

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