Verdict due in Calvi murder trial
By Christian Fraser
BBC News, Rome
A court in Rome is set to deliver its verdict in the murder trial of Roberto Calvi, the Mafia-linked financier who became known as « God’s Banker ». Mr Calvi, the chairman of a private Italian bank, Banco Ambrosiano, was found hanging from scaffolding under London’s Blackfriars Bridge in 1982.
At first, it was thought to be suicide, but the case was reopened.
For the last two years, five people have been facing charges of conspiracy to murder. They deny involvement.
As chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, Roberto Calvi knew all the secrets.
He was linked to the Vatican bank, the Mafia and the Freemasons.
He knew where their funds were going, he knew where they were hidden and the theory is he was threatening to tell it all.
Unanswered questions
In June 1982, his private bank collapsed with debts of $1.5bn (£0.75bn).
CALVI KEY DATES
1971 : Becomes chairman of Banco Ambrosiano
1981 : Convicted of corruption, but bailed pending appeal
11 June 1982 : Leaves Italy with a suitcase of documents
18 June 1982 : Body found
July 1982 : Suicide verdict
July 1983 : Open verdict at second inquest
1998 : Calvi’s body exhumed
Oct 2002 : Forensic report says Calvi murdered
July 2003 : Italian prosecutors name four suspects
Sept 2003 : City of London Police re-open investigation
Mar 2004 : Four appear at pre-trial hearing in Rome
April 2005 : Four people charged with murder in Italy
October 2005 : Murder trial opens in Italy
An investigation began in Italy but, a few days later, Calvi’s body was hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in London.
There were stones in his pockets.
The first inquest ruled it was suicide but years later his body was exhumed, revealing clues that he had been murdered.
The key defendants are Giuseppe Calo, a cashier for the Sicilian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, and Mr Calvi’s close associate, businessman Flavio Carboni.
The prosecution alleged that with their co-defendants’ help, they lured Calvi to London and into the hands of the Mafia.
But this two-year trial leaves more questions than answers.
The defence has suggested more than once that there were plenty of others who had a motive for murder - some of them within the Vatican - and they say any number of these parties could have collaborated and silenced Roberto Calvi.
Published : 2007/06/06 12:17:37 GMT
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