The Banco Ambrosiano Scandal and its Key Players

The Banco Ambrosiano Scandal was a major financial scandal that shook Italy in the 1980s. It involved the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano, a bank with ties to the Vatican.

The scandal was led by Roberto Calvi, the bank's chairman, who was found dead in 1982. Calvi had been involved in a number of shady dealings, including money laundering and bribery.

At the center of the scandal was a complex web of transactions and loans that went sour, resulting in massive losses for the bank. Roberto Calvi had been working closely with Michele Sindona, another key player in the scandal.

Sindona was a Sicilian financier who had been accused of embezzlement and was later assassinated in prison. His connections to the Vatican and the Mafia were believed to have played a role in the scandal.

The scandal also involved the Vatican Bank, which had invested heavily in Banco Ambrosiano. This led to allegations of money laundering and corruption within the Vatican.

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The scandal surrounding Banco Ambrosiano is a complex and intriguing tale of corruption and deceit.

In 1978, the Bank of Italy produced a report on Banco Ambrosiano which found that several billion lire had been exported illegally, leading to criminal investigations.

The bank's chairman, Roberto Calvi, was tried in 1981 and given a four-year suspended sentence for transferring US$27 million out of the country in violation of Italian currency laws.

He was released on bail pending appeal and kept his position at the bank, where he continued to engage in suspicious activities.

Calvi attempted suicide during his short spell in jail, and his family maintains that he was manipulated by others and was innocent of the crimes attributed to him.

In 1982, Calvi wrote a letter of warning to Pope John Paul II, stating that the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano would "provoke a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions" and damage the Church.

The bank collapsed in June 1982, following the discovery of debts between US$700 million and 1.5 billion.

Much of the money had been transferred through the Vatican Bank, which owned shares in Banco Ambrosiano.

The Vatican Bank agreed to pay US$224 million to 120 of Banco Ambrosiano's creditors as a "recognition of moral involvement" in the bank's collapse.

However, the Vatican was granted immunity due to a lack of evidence linking it directly to the scandal.

In 1991, a Sicilian Mafia pentito claimed that Roberto Calvi was murdered because he had lost money belonging to senior Mafia bosses when Banco Ambrosiano collapsed.

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Banco Ambrosiano had a complex leadership structure, with several key figures playing important roles.

Franco Ratti was the chairman of the bank, a position he held at the time of the article's writing. Carlo Canesi was a senior manager who later became chairman of Banco Ambrosiano Holding in 1965.

Roberto Calvi, also known as "God's Banker", was the general manager of Banco Ambrosiano from 1971 and chairman from 1975 until his death in June 1982. He had close financial ties with the Vatican.

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Paul Marcinkus, the president of Vatican Bank, was a director of Ambrosiano Overseas, a subsidiary based in Nassau, Bahamas. After Roberto Calvi's trial, Carlo De Benedetti briefly took on the role of deputy-chairman.

Here are some key figures in the leadership of Banco Ambrosiano:

Giuseppe Calò and Licio Gelli were at the center of the prosecution for Roberto Calvi's murder. According to Mannoia, the killer was Francesco Di Carlo, a mafioso living in London at the time, on the orders of Giuseppe Calò and Licio Gelli.

Di Carlo became a cooperating witness in June 1996 and denied that he was the killer, but he admitted that Calò had approached him to commit the murder. Italian prosecutors in Rome implicated Calò in Calvi's murder, along with Flavio Carboni, an allegedly mobbed-up Sardinian businessman.

In 1997, Di Carlo claimed that the killers were Vaccari and Vincenzo Casillo, who belonged to the Camorra from Naples and both of whom were later murdered. Italian prosecutors concluded that the Sicilian Mafia acted in its own interests and to ensure that Calvi could not blackmail them.

Licio Gelli was formally under investigation on charges of ordering Calvi's contract killing, along with Calò, Diotallevi, Flavio Carboni, and Carboni's Austrian girlfriend Manuela Kleinszig. The other four suspects had been indicted on murder charges in April.

Gelli was accused of demanding Calvi's death as punishment for embezzling money from Banco Ambrosiano that belonged both to Gelli and to senior figures in the Mafia.

The members of Banco Ambrosiano played a significant role in the bank's operations and scandals.

Franco Ratti was the chairman of the bank, a position he held with great influence.

Roberto Calvi, also known as "God's Banker", served as the general manager of Banco Ambrosiano from 1971 and was appointed chairman from 1975 until his death in 1982.

Paul Marcinkus, the president of Vatican Bank, was a director of Ambrosiano Overseas, a subsidiary based in the Bahamas.

Carlo De Benedetti briefly served as deputy-chairman after Roberto Calvi's trial.

Here's a list of key members:

The Banco Ambrosiano was an Italian bank with a complex history. It was founded in 1896 by a group of entrepreneurs, including Antonio Maria Cardinal Spellanzani.

The bank's headquarters were located in Milan, Italy. Banco Ambrosiano was known for its conservative approach to banking, which set it apart from other banks of the time.

Banco Ambrosiano's president, Roberto Calvi, was a key figure in the bank's operations. He was known for his charismatic personality and his ability to attract wealthy clients.

The bank's conservative approach to banking led to a relatively stable period in the 1960s and 1970s. However, this stability came at a cost, as the bank's profits were lower than those of other banks.

Banco Ambrosiano's connections to the Vatican were a key aspect of its operations. The bank had a long history of working with the Vatican, and many of its executives were close friends of Pope Paul VI.

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The Banco Ambrosiano scandal is still shrouded in mystery, with many unanswered questions. The Vatican's role in the scandal is particularly unclear, with the Vatican Bank paying $250 million to those owed money by Banco Ambrosiano, but never fully explaining its involvement.

Roberto Calvi's death is another aspect of the mystery, with some people believing he was killed to keep him quiet about the scandal. His body was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London, and the unusual details of his death have led to many conspiracy theories.

The disappearance of $1.3 billion from Banco Ambrosiano's records is another unexplained aspect of the scandal. The bank's close ties with the Vatican Bank and its suspicious dealings with foreign companies have raised questions about the extent of the Vatican's involvement in the scandal.

Despite numerous investigations and court cases, many questions about the Banco Ambrosiano scandal remain unanswered. The real story behind this mysterious event is still hidden, with many important people either dead or not talking.

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