Vatican City, 7 April 2016 – Yesterday afternoon the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., provided further information on the latest hearing in the trial currently underway for the dissemination of reserved information and documents, which took place yesterday at Vatican City State Tribunal.

The hearing began at 10.30 a.m. and was attended by the members of the Tribunal (Giuseppe Dalla Torre, Piero Antonio Bonnet, Paolo Papanti-Pelletier and Venerando Marano), the Promoter of Justice (Gian Pietro Milano and Roberto Zannotti), and all the defendants (Ángel Lucio Vallejo Balda, Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, Nicola Maio, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi), with their legal representatives (Emanuela Bellardini, Laura Sgro, Rita Claudia Baffioni, Roberto Palombi and Lucia Teresa Musso).

The hearing began with the presentation by the defence for Chaouqui the request for the acquisition of a pen-drive – already previously filed – containing various recorded telephone calls. The Promoter of Justice and the lawyer Bellardini argued against its acquisition on the basis of the procedural rules for filing documents and the request for witnesses. The Course withdrew into the counsel chamber between 10.55 and 11.15 a.m. and denied the request.

The hearing was subsequently dedicated entirely to the interrogation of the defendant Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui by the President, the Promoter of Justice, and the counsels for the other defendants. Finally, the report regarding both the morning and afternoon examinations was read and approved. The hearing ended shortly after 5.30 p.m. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on Monday 11 April at 10.30 a.m.