Vatican City, 13 April 2016 – Today at 10.30 a.m. a new hearing began in the ongoing trial for the dissemination of reserved information and documents in Vatican City State Tribunal, according to information provided by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. It was attended by the members of the Tribunal (Professors Giuseppe Dalla Torre, Piero Antonio Bonnet, Paolo Papanti-Pelletier and Venerando Marano), the Promoter of Justice (Professors Gian Pietro Milano and Roberto Zannotti), and the defendants Ángel Lucio Vallejo Balda, Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, Nicola Maio, Gianluigi Nuzzi, and Emiliano Fittipaldi, with their respective legal representatives Emanuela Bellardini, Laura Sgrò, Rita Claudia Baffioni, Roberto Palombi and Lucia Teresa Musso.

The hearing was dedicated entirely to the interrogation of the defendant Gianluigi Nuzzi by the President, the Promoter of Justice, and the counsels for the defence of the other defendants.

Some lawyers then requested that the Court admit certain witnesses other than those already previously requested and admitted. The Court retired to the Counsel Chamber and subsequently refused the requests for new witnesses.

The hearing ended at around 2.15 p.m. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on 26 April at 3.30 p.m. Since the interrogation of the defendants has now been concluded, the examination of witnesses will take place.