Deja vu in Vatican as ‘Vatileaks’ defendant cited at trial

ROME (AP) — There was something of a deja vu at the Vatican tribunal hearing a financial crimes case. That’s because a high-profile defendant in a previous trial over leaked documents has emerged as a key figure in advising the prime prosecution witness to cooperate with prosecutors. Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi announced Tuesday he received a series of 126 text messages over the weekend that explained how key prosecution witness Monsignor Alberto Perlasca decided to cooperate with the investigation into the Vatican’s bungled investment in a London property. The messages came from a Perlasca confidante who said she had been advised by Francesca Immaculata Chaouqui. Chaouqui was convicted in 2016 by the Vatican tribunal of conspiring to leak confidential documents to journalists.