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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Vatican IT technician distances himself from jailed butler in court | Vatican IT technician distances himself from jailed butler in court |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| A Vatican IT technician on trial as part of the Vatileaks scandal has tried to distance himself from Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict's private correspondence. | A Vatican IT technician on trial as part of the Vatileaks scandal has tried to distance himself from Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler convicted of stealing and leaking Pope Benedict's private correspondence. |
| Claudio Sciarpelletti, 48, appeared in a Vatican court on Monday accused of aiding and abetting Gabriele, who is serving an 18-month sentence in a Vatican cell. | Claudio Sciarpelletti, 48, appeared in a Vatican court on Monday accused of aiding and abetting Gabriele, who is serving an 18-month sentence in a Vatican cell. |
| On 25 May, police officers found an envelope among Sciarpelletti's possessions, marked "Personal – Paolo Gabriele", which contained details of alleged conflicts of interest of Vatican police officers. The information was later published in a book alongside letters leaked by Gabriele. | On 25 May, police officers found an envelope among Sciarpelletti's possessions, marked "Personal – Paolo Gabriele", which contained details of alleged conflicts of interest of Vatican police officers. The information was later published in a book alongside letters leaked by Gabriele. |
| Under questioning Sciarpelletti told police Gabriele had given him the envelope for safekeeping, then changed his story, claiming he had been given it by a person described as W in court documents. He added that he had received another envelope from a person named only as X. | Under questioning Sciarpelletti told police Gabriele had given him the envelope for safekeeping, then changed his story, claiming he had been given it by a person described as W in court documents. He added that he had received another envelope from a person named only as X. |
| Sciarpelletti's lawyer, Gianluca Benedetti, argued for his acquittal on Monday, claiming his client did not know Gabriele well enough to help him leak sensitive documents, and pointing to the fact that Sciarpelletti had never upgraded Gabriele's computer, despite his duties as an IT technician. | Sciarpelletti's lawyer, Gianluca Benedetti, argued for his acquittal on Monday, claiming his client did not know Gabriele well enough to help him leak sensitive documents, and pointing to the fact that Sciarpelletti had never upgraded Gabriele's computer, despite his duties as an IT technician. |
| "There was no complicity," he said. "If there was, a computer would have been substituted." Benedetti also contested an anonymous tipoff received by investigators about "frequent" contacts between the two men. Sciarpelletti, he added, had changed his story with police because he was "emotional". | "There was no complicity," he said. "If there was, a computer would have been substituted." Benedetti also contested an anonymous tipoff received by investigators about "frequent" contacts between the two men. Sciarpelletti, he added, had changed his story with police because he was "emotional". |
| Dressed in a grey suit and appearing tense, Sciarpelletti was accompanied by his wife in court and nodded to Gabriele, who was called as a witness. | Dressed in a grey suit and appearing tense, Sciarpelletti was accompanied by his wife in court and nodded to Gabriele, who was called as a witness. |
| Despite the charges levelled at Sciarpelletti, the court has previously claimed Gabriele acted alone. More light could be shed on that on Saturday when a series of witnesses are called, notably Father Carlo Maria Polvani, a functionary at the secretariate of state who Sciarpelletti worked for. | Despite the charges levelled at Sciarpelletti, the court has previously claimed Gabriele acted alone. More light could be shed on that on Saturday when a series of witnesses are called, notably Father Carlo Maria Polvani, a functionary at the secretariate of state who Sciarpelletti worked for. |
| Polvani is the nephew of Monsignor Carlo Maria Vigano, whose exile to the US to become Vatican ambassador after he exposed kickbacks at the Vatican is detailed in the book based on Gabriele's leaked letters, prompting speculation that Polvani fed details of the episode to Sciarpelletti. | Polvani is the nephew of Monsignor Carlo Maria Vigano, whose exile to the US to become Vatican ambassador after he exposed kickbacks at the Vatican is detailed in the book based on Gabriele's leaked letters, prompting speculation that Polvani fed details of the episode to Sciarpelletti. |
| The three judges hearing Sciarpelletti's case are expected to deliver their verdict as early as Saturday. | The three judges hearing Sciarpelletti's case are expected to deliver their verdict as early as Saturday. |
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