Swiss court insists Vatican suspects can get a fair trial

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A Swiss federal court has upheld a freeze on a reported 50 million euros in assets belonging to one of the suspects in a big Holy See fraud trial. The court rejected among other things his argument that he can’t get a fair trial in the Vatican, saying “the guarantees for a fair trial are fully respected by the Vatican justice system.” Italian broker Raffaele Mincione is one of 10 people who were indicted by the Vatican judge in July for a host of alleged financial crimes originating in the Holy See’s 350 million-euro investment in a London property. Vatican prosecutors had sought judicial assistance from Swiss and other authorities as part of their investigation, as well as the preemptive seizures of assets of the suspects.