Pope Francis at the Angelus (15-11-2015)

11/21/2015 

Five indicted over Vatileaks scandal

Chaouqui and Vallejo Balda

The inquiry into the theft and publication of confidential documents belonging to the Holy See has come to an end: the new name is Nicola Maio, who had formerly worked for COSEA. He faces trial alongside Vallejo Balda and Chaouqui, as well as Nuzzi and Fittipaldi, who "put pressure on" Vallejo Balda

Domenico Agasso jr Vatican City
The Vatican judiciary has indicted five people after the inquiry into the theft and publication of confidential documents belonging to the Holy See was concluded, ANSA news agency has learnt.  Mgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda and Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui were arrested as part of the investigations. The two Italian journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi have also been committed for trial. They “requested and pushed for confidential documents and news to be passed onto them and then used some of this content to put together two books published in Italy” (“Merchants on the Temple” and "Avarice"). The fifth indicted party is Nicola Maio, former collaborator of the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA). Lucio Vallejo Balda and Chaouqui were also members of the Commission, the former holding the role of secretary. Maio was Vallejo Balda’s personal secretary.The trial will begin on Tuesday 24 November  at the Tribunal of the Vatican City State.

Vallejo Balda, Chaouqui and Maio are also charged with criminal conspiracy.

The individuals were indicted - in a document signed by the Promoter of Justice  Gian Pietro Milano and the Adjunct Promoter of Justice, Roberto Zannotti - for violating article 116 bis of the Vatican Criminal Code, in other words, the disclosure of confidential news and documents.

In a statement, the Holy See says that Vallejo Balda, Chaouqui and Maio will be asked to explain “why within the Prefecture for Economic Affairs and in COSEA, they grouped together forming an organised criminal partnership of an autonomous composition and structure, whose promoters were Ángel Lucio Vallejo Balda and Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, with the aim of committing a series of crimes involving the publication of new news and documents relating to fundamental interests of the Holy See and the State.”
 
Furthermore, all the accused will need to be tried “because, acting in concert, Vallejo Balda, as  secretary general of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs, Chaouqui as a member of COSEA, Maio as Vallejo Balda’s collaborator on questions relating to COSEA, Fittipaldi and Nuzzi as journalists, illegitimately obtained and later revealed news and documents concerning fundamental interests of the Holy See and the State”; to be precise, Vallejo Balda, Chaouqui and Maio “obtained said pieces of news and documents within their own roles in the Prefecture for Economic Affairs and in COSEA, while Fittipaldi and Nuzzi requested and put pressure on Vallejo Balda in particular, to obtain confidential documents and news. They then used some of this content to put together two books published in Italy in November 2015.”


The offences were “committed in the Vatican City between March 2013 and 5 November 2015.”

Following the request for indiction issued by the Promoter of Justice, the President of the Tribunal and the Vatican City State, Giuseppe Dalla Torre, “issued a Decree establishing that on 24 November 2015, at 10:30, the first hearing in the trial faced by the indicted parties, warning them that if they fail to appear in court, they will be held guilty of contumacy. At the same time, he established that the judging college will be composed as such: Giuseppe Dalla Torre, President; Piero Antonio Bonner, Judge; Paolo Papanti-Pelletier, Judge; Venerando Marano, Substitute Judge. The Decree sets the deadline for submission of evidence in defence for 28 November 2015 at 12:30.”

The accused face between four to eight years in prison. At the moment, one of the alleged “moles”, Vallejo Balda, is still being detained in a cell in the Vatican Gendarmerie, while Francesca Chaouqui was immediately released following her arrest at the start of November, because she collaborated in the investigations.


Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Holy See spokesman, clarified: “Whether the accusations are proportionate, still needs to be evaluated, so for now all we have is a request, not a sentence.”

CLEAR YOUR SORROWFUL MOOD

Ace comedian Ali Baba has advised that one must always upgrade one’s self to improve their relevance.

The controversial stand up comic who habitually dishes advise via his instagram page also advised that fans should increase their worth and embrace technology.

He wrote: “A comedian is as good as his last joke. Staying on top of your game is the best way to keep your career in shape. If you joined a bank in 2008, with a BSc in Economics, and you are yet to add value to your curriculum vitae, you have not accelerated, nor added value, neither have you advanced your value propositions.

“Met an AGM of a bank in 2010, who wanted me to introduce a guest at his bank’s dinner, but did not get the guest’s details, just his last name. I was surprised I wowed him when I googled it. He asked how I got so much info on the man when I didn’t know who he was. So I showed him on my iPad 1. I saw him recently and I said hope he has caught on with the google thing, his reply was no surprise. ‘My brother no be google be my problem now. I have been out of work since 2012. I need to get back into banking’.

“Ironically, what a lot of people count as irrelevant turns out to be one very reason they can remain relevant. After the reggae play the blues. Life is always changing. You can’t use your 3310 for Whatsapp. Most device makers make sure they make allowance for upgrade of their software, for improved performance, reduce battery consumption, allow for apps to work better and increase value of their products. Same thing applies for every human being. Most times, people stop growing and that is when frustrating realities hit home. While you were sitting tight, the person you joined an organization with, has an MBA, a certificate of proficiency in different relevant and core sectors of your industry. Even if you had a first class, the person becomes more indispensable by their increasing value. You become a liability.

SEE ALSO:  Ali Baba shares tips on resolving relationship issues

Activate your skills. Increase your worth. Embrace technology. How many people still take pictures, develop the negatives and prints? When I started engaging social media, someone told my wife I was jobless. Some months back, same person, tails between her legs, asked if I could help promote something she was doing on my platforms. I smiled. Joseph was relevant to Pharaoh. David was invited to play the harp. If the water isn’t constantly flowing, Pharaoh’s daughter won’t swim there. Stagnancy is not growth. Growing makes you relevant. QED!”

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A comedian is a good as his last joke. Staying on top of your game is the best way to keep your career in shape. If you joined a bank in 2008, with a BSc in Economics, and you are yet to add value to your curriculum vitae, you have not accelerated, nor added value, neither have you advanced your value propositions. Met an AGM of a bank in 2010, who wanted me to introduce a guest at his bank’s dinner, but did not get the guest’s details, just his last name. I was surprised I wowed him when I googled it. He asked how I got so much info on the man when I didn’t know who he was. So I showed him on my Ipad1. I saw him recently and I said hope he has caught on with the google thing, his reply was no surprise. “My brother no be google be my problem now. I have been out of work since 2012. I need to get back into banking”. Ironically, what a lot of people count as irrelevant turns out to be one very reason they can remain relevant. After the reggae play the blues. Life is always changing. You can’t use your 3310 for WHatsapp. Most device makers make sure they make allowance for upgrade of their software, for improved performance, reduce battery consumption, allow for apps to work better and increase value of their products. Same thing applies for every human being. Most times, people stop growing and that is when frustrating realities hit home. While you were sitting tight, the person you joined an organization with, has an MBA, a certificate of proficiency in different relevant and core sectors of your industry. Even if you had a first class, the person becomes more indispensable by their increasing value. You become a liability. Activate your skills. Increase your worth. Embrace technology. How many people still take pictures, develop the negatives and prints? When I started engaging social media, someone told my wife I was jobless. Some months back, same person, tails between her legs, asked if I could help promote something she was doing on my platforms. I smiled. Joseph was relevant to Pharaoh. David was invited to play the harp. If the water isn’t constantly flowing, Pharaoh’s daughter won’t swim there. Stagnancy is not growth. Growing makes you relevant. QED!

A photo posted by Ali Baba (@alibabagcfr) on Nov 19, 2015 at 12:48am PST

Rebels retake two Syrian towns from Islamic State

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that opposition rebels had regained two northern villages close to the Turkish border from the Islamic State insurgents.

The monitoring group said that the recapture of the villages of Dalhah and Harjala on the northern outskirts of Aleppo province followed heavy fighting between rebels and the insurgents.

“This is an important development because it showed that Islamic State is losing ground in areas near the Syrian-Turkish border,” the group’s head, Rami Abdel-Rahman said.

Islamic State has advanced in areas held by moderate rebels in the countryside of Aleppo, including the villages of Dalhah and Harjala since August.

Russia rejects claim that IS group shot down aircraft

In recent months, the al-Qaeda splinter group has made territorial gains in several parts of Syria.

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A US-led coalition and Russia have separately stepped up airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria in the past weeks, after the radical group claimed responsibility for a series of attacks around the world.

At least 36 people were killed overnight in more than 70 airstrikes, believed to have been mounted by Russian warplanes, in eastern Syria’s province of Deir al-Zour, the group said.