Vatican Bank Audit Finds 202 Suspicious Deals in 2013

The Vatican bank's stepped-up internal monitoring hasled to a sharp rise in suspicious transaction reports -- from just six in 2012to 202 in 2013 and collaboration with foreign financial authorities hasincreased sharply.

"It means that the reporting system startsworking, is working," Rene Bruelhart, director of the Vatican's FinancialInformation Authority, a supervisory body, said as he presented its 2013 reporton Monday.

The agency said that there had been a"notable" rise in reported shady deals at the bank, the Institute forReligious Works or IOR, and that it had so far passed on five requests forfurther investigation by Vatican justice.

In 2011, just one suspicious transaction was reported.

The AIF said that the number of requests forinformation it had received from foreign authorities had also increased to 28from just one in 2012 and the number of similar requests it received were 53 in2013 compared to three in 2012.

"This increase is also due to internationalcooperation fostered by a series of bilateral agreements we haveconcluded," Bruelhart said in a statement.

The number of cash withdrawals above 10,000 euros fellto 1,557 in 2013 from 1,782 in 2012 and there were 550 declarations for cashdeposits above that amount compared to 598 in 2012.

The IOR handles accounts for Vatican departments andemployees, as well as for religious orders and diplomats to the Holy See. Ithas launched a series of reforms for transparency and is closing downsuspicious accounts.

The IOR said on its website it had 18,900 customers in2012 and 6.3 billion euros ($8.6 billion) in client assets.

Bruelhart, a Swiss lawyer who helped Liechtensteinshed its shady image, was named as Vatican bank supervisor in 2012 and a lawadopted in 2013 bolstered his Authority's role.

A former senior Vatican accountant currently on trialfor money laundering is accused of moving money through Vatican bank accountsin the past to avoid paying taxes.

Two former Vatican bank directors are also facingtrial for money laundering in Italy.