Vatican court rejects ex-auditor Libero Milone’s appeal in wrongful dismissal case. He escalates to Supreme Court, seeks audience with Pope Leo XIV.
Newsroom (16/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) Libero Milone, the Vatican’s first auditor general, is taking his fight for justice to the Vatican City State’s Court of Cassation, the territory’s highest court, after the Court of Appeal dismissed his wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Secretariat of State on July 22, 2025. The ruling upheld a January 2024 decision that rejected Milone’s 9.3-million-euro claim for unfair dismissal, loss of income, and reputational damage, ordering him to pay approximately 113,000 euros in legal costs.
Milone, a former chairman and CEO of Deloitte’s Italian branch, and his late deputy, Ferruccio Panicco, filed the lawsuit in November 2022, alleging they were forced to resign in 2017 after uncovering evidence of corruption and financial irregularities at senior Vatican levels. At a press briefing on Tuesday, Milone remained defiant, accusing the Vatican of dodging the substance of his claims and focusing solely on procedural issues. “They got that wrong, too,” he said, emphasizing that the Vatican has “never once” addressed the core allegations of corruption he and Panicco raised.
Central to the case is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, former deputy secretary of state, whom Milone accuses of orchestrating a 2017 raid on their offices with Vatican police commander Domenico Giani, framing them for spying and embezzlement to halt their investigations. The Vatican claims “irrefutable evidence” of Milone’s spying but has never produced it, he said, noting that a document explaining their forced resignations was never shown to them. Quoting the late Cardinal George Pell’s 2021 statement on Italian television, Milone insisted, “Milone was just auditing.”
The Vatican argues that Milone’s lawsuit was misdirected at the Secretariat of State, asserting he should have sued Becciu and Giani directly. Milone counters that the decision was institutional, not individual, citing a 1933 Italian law requiring claims against the Vatican to target the Secretariat. He also referenced a 2019 Italian civil law, applicable to the Vatican, holding employers—not individuals—liable for damages.
Milone’s legal battles have faced significant obstacles. Last year, Vatican judges ordered the removal of 25 pages from his defense dossier detailing alleged financial malfeasance, deeming them irrelevant and potentially damaging to uninvolved parties. This prompted the resignation of his lead counsel, Romano Vaccarella, who criticized the court’s impartiality. Milone called the order “ridiculous,” arguing that evidence must be heard before being dismissed. “It is simply inconceivable that a plaintiff be ordered to remove evidence which supports his claim,” he said.
In a letter to Pope Leo XIV, Milone requested a private audience to discuss his case and warn of the Vatican’s ongoing financial mismanagement, which he described as “a real nest of vipers.” He expressed concern that without resolution, the Vatican will struggle to attract a credible, independent auditor general, as competent professionals will avoid a “hostile and unjust environment.”
Milone remains resolute, vowing to restore his and Panicco’s reputations and complete the auditing mission he began. “I am a firm believer that a justice system has to be respected, even when it might appear to derail,” he said. “Therefore, it is essential to go through a complete process.” Whatever the Court of Cassation’s decision, Milone’s fight for transparency and accountability in the Vatican’s financial affairs shows no sign of abating.
- Raju Hasmukh With files from Gaudium Press and National Catholic Register.
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