L'OR DU VATICAN

"Le pape accepta et ouvrit la porte à la spéculation sur les monnaies et au jeu sur les marchés boursiers, ce qui comprenait l'acquisition d'actions de sociétés dont les produits n'étaient guère compatibles avec l'enseignement catholique. Des articles comme des bombes, des chars d'assaut, des fusils, des contraceptifs pouvaient bien être condamnés en chaire, les actions que Nogara achetait pour le Vatican, représentant des sociétés qui fabriquaient ces articles, contribuaient à remplir les coffres de Saint-Pierre."

David Yallop, Au nom de Dieu, 1984, p. 134.

VATICANBANK CLAIMS

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (LONDON)

November 19, 2001, Monday

SECTION: Pg. 31

LENGTH: 272 words

HEADLINE: Gangster's paradise across the Atlantic

BYLINE: By Michael Becket

BODY:
THE United States accounts for 46.3pc of the world's underworld cash, according
to John Walker, a researcher in fraud. That compares with 5.3pc for Italy, 5.2pc
for Russia, and 4.6pc for China. The UK is down at number nine, generating
2.4pc of the world's illegal cash.

The money is also invested or laundered mainly in the US where 18.9pc goes.
After that comes the Cayman Islands with 4.9pc, Russia 4.2pc, Italy 3.7pc and
China 3.3pc. The UK is not in the top 10. But the most attractive sites for
holding offshore cash, according to Inside Fraud Bulletin, are Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Britain and the United States.

Top-scoring "cut-out" countries, which make it hard to trace the ill-gotten
gains back to the getter, are Mauritius, Vatican City, Macao and Nauru, followed
by Luxembourg and South Africa. After that come Britain's islands: Isle of Man,
Jersey, Guernsey and Sark.

The world total of laundered crime money is guesstimated by Mr Walker to be
pounds 1,000 billion. The bulletin, quoting the table, notes, however, that
"statistics on money laundering are unreliable". Little wonder, when there are
laws in the Cayman Islands making it a criminal offence to impinge upon
corporate or banking secrecy.

It is worse still in Russia where the criminals do not just get themselves a
bank account, they own more than 50 banks - that makes hiding the money a lot
easier.

Criminal gangs and terrorist groups "are expert in laundering funds", the
magazine comments. There are even British websites that can provide a bogus name
complete with fake passport and ID card.