Vatican city police conducted a raid on the department in charge of the maintainance and restoration at the St Peter's Basilica, seizing the documents and also the computers for an investigation into the corruption that is suspected.
The raid was identical to one in last October that had the involvement of another investigation into a separate department over the buying of a building in a posh area located in London.
Vatican Police Conducts a Raid
A statement from the Vatican press office said the material was seized from the technical and administrative offices of the Fabbrica di San Pietro. It traces its origins to the 15th century, even before the construction of the current basilica began. Vatican magistrates ordered the raid following a tip from the office of the general auditor, the statement said, without giving details. It said Pope Francis appointed a commissioner to run the department temporarily.
The commissioner was tasked with reorganizing the department and updating its statutes in the wake of a June 1 papal document that introduced sweeping new rules for procurement and spending to reduce the risk of corruption in awarding contracts.
The statement specifically mentioned the new rules, which suggested Tuesday's raid may have something to do with the awarding of a contract. The department is currently overseeing the restoration of the basilica's dome, which recently has been partly covered by scaffolding.
(With agency inputs)
