Vatican City, 17 May 2016 – This morning, at around 11 a.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 and Nicola Maio. The defendants Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi were absent but were represented by their 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 session, the president read the following Order of the Court: "Considering the deposition of the deputy commissioner Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti during the hearing of 16 May 2016; given that outcomes emerged that, although present in the seized information and computer appliances, were not known by the Promoter of Justice and the defendants; that Article 400 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the acquisition for the proceedings of the documentation shown by the witness during his testimony; the Promoter of Justice and the counsels for the defence may present requests exclusively in relation to the aforementioned documentation during the hearing of 24 May 2016 at 3.30 p.m.; the session shall be dedicated to the examination of the witnesses Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti and Stefano De Santis, and expert witnesses (17.5.2016)".

The report of the declaration made yesterday afternoon by the witness Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti was read and approved. The session was concluded shortly after 11.30 a.m. and, as indicated in the order, the next hearing will take place on 24 May at 3.30 p.m.

Note: Article 400 paragraph 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to situations in which manifestly influential evidence emerges during the discussion.

The session held yesterday afternoon, starting at 3.30 p.m. and attended by those named above and by the Promoter of Justice Professor Giampiero Milano, was dedicated to the further interrogation of witnesses. Although summoned, Mario Benotti and Paolo Mondani were not present, and the President asked the counsels for the defence of Msgr. Vallejo Balda and the Promoter of Justice whether to continue with further summons. They answered that they were willing to renounce their testimony for reasons of procedural economy.

The four witnesses present were therefore examined: Fabio Schiaffi, official of the Protocol of the Prefecture of Economic Affairs, requested by the Promoter of Justice; Professor Lucia Ercoli, health official of Vatican City State and Msgr. Vittorio Trani, chaplain of the Regina Coeli prison, requested by the defence for Chaouqui; and Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, commissioner of the Gendarme Corps Vatican City State Gendarme Corps, who performed the forensic analysis of information and computer appliances seized during investigations, requested by the Promoter of Justice. The witnesses responded to questioning by the Promoter of Justice, the counsels for the defence and the panel of judges.

Following the interrogation of each witness, the respective report was read and approved. Since the deposition of the witness Gauzzi was prolonged and needed more time, at 7.15 p.m. the President of the Tribunal adjourned the hearing until 11 a.m. the following day, for the continuation of the examination of witnesses.