Vatican City, 25 May 2016 – Yesterday, at 3.45 p.m., a further hearing was held in the Vatican City State Tribunal in the ongoing trial for the dissemination of reserved information and documents, 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 (Professor Roberto Zannotti), and the defendants Ángel Lucio Vallejo Balda, Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, Nicola Maio and Emiliano Fittipaldi, whereas the defendant Gianluigi Nuzzi was absent but represented by his lawyers. Therefore, all five respective legal representatives were present: Emanuela Bellardini, Laura Sgrò, Rita Claudia Baffioni, Lucia Teresa Musso and Roberto Palombi.

At the beginning of the hearing, as determined by the Court Summons read during the last session on 17 May, the requests of the counsels for the defence of Chaouqui and Fittipaldi were heard, consequent to elements that emerged from the testimony given by the deputy commissioner Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti during the hearing of 16 May 2016, and the position of the Promoter of Justice with regard to these requests. The panel of the Tribunal therefore retired to the Council Chamber for around twenty minutes; upon re-entry an Order was issued by which the Tribunal requested the acquisition of documentation produced by the counsels for the defence, Sgrò and Musso; accepted the request to examine again the defendants Chaouqui and Fittipaldi, again with regard to the aforementioned testimony; the right was reserved to evaluate the request for a supplementary expert witness, and requested the continuation of the debate.

The examination of the witness Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti was therefore resumed and concluded with questioning by the Promoter of Justice and the counsels for the defence. The declarations by Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui were heard, and the new witness summoned by the Promoter of Justice, Stefano De Santis of the Gendarme Corps, was examined. Finally, the declarations of Emiliano Fittipaldi were heard.

After each testimony or declaration, the relevant report was read and approved. The session ended at around 7.45 p.m.

The next hearing will be held on 14 June, at 3.30 p.m. The declarations of Gianluigi Nuzzi will be given, as requested by his lawyer, and the expert witnesses will be heard.