Pope Francis is alleged to have interfered with a key witness before he changed his evidence in the Vatican’s controversial “trial of the century” over an ill-fated £300 million London property deal. Leaked documents, messages and voicemails have been passed to the London financier Raffaele Mincione, who was convicted under canon law of embezzlement by a Vatican court in 2023. The conviction related to a loss-making investment in 60 Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, a landmark building that was once a car showroom for Harrods. Mincione, 60, has always protested his innocence and argued that the Vatican case — which was investigated, prosecuted and tried by officials appointed by the Pope — was conducted unfairly. • High Court ruling raises questions about Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’
