Paul KeenanControversial Vatican accountant Msgr Nunzio Scarano has been transferred to house arrest from the prison where he has been held since his June arrest in connection with the smuggling of €20 million. The monsignor has denied the charges, but his arrest has resulted in a major investigation into his employer, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), the Vatican’s accounting arm. Sacrano has alleged that APSA is at the heart of a major tax avoidance operation on behalf of wealthy investors, bringing it under the gaze of Pope Francis, who, in his determination to ‘clean house’ in relation to the Vatican’s financial matters, ordered the ASA independent probe.
