Overview
- Diddi formally notified the Court of Cassation of his abstention from the ‘Palazzo di Londra’ case, stepping back from the Becciu appeal.
- Defense teams had sought his recusal citing messages involving Francesca Chaouqui and Genoveffa Ciferri that, they argue, raised questions about his impartiality; the Court of Appeal had deemed the request admissible and referred it upward.
- The appeal is scheduled to resume on February 3, with deputy prosecutor Roberto Zannotti set to represent the prosecution, according to new reporting.
- The case stems from a €150 million IOR loan request by the Secretariat of State to regain control of a London property, which led to first‑instance convictions of nine people; Becciu has maintained his innocence.
- Parallel litigation in the UK previously resulted in an order for the Holy See to pay €3.5 million in legal costs to financier Raffaele Mincione.