Italian lawyer appointed director of Vatican’s Financial Information Authority

(March 07, 2011) An Italian Supreme Court expert in combating money laundering and terrorism funding has been appointed director of the Vatican’s new Financial Information Authority. Italian Card. Attilio Nicora, President of the Authority on Monday appointed Francesco De Pasquale as director of the Authority, which Pope Benedict XVI instituted on Dec. 30 to oversee the monetary and commercial activities of all Vatican-related institutions, including the Vatican bank. De Pasquale, a 61-year old lawyer at the Supreme Court of Cassation, the major court of last resort in Italy, has over 22 years of experience in international norms dealing with money laundering. The Vatican has been working for some time with Italian and international authorities to comply with procedures to ensure funds are not used for terrorism or money laundering.