A Vatican court on Saturday sentenced a once powerful Italian cardinal to five years and six months in jail for financial crimes at the end of a historic trial.

Angelo Becciu, 75, a former adviser to Pope Francis who was once considered a papal contender himself, was the most senior clergyman in the Catholic Church to face a Vatican criminal court.

His lawyer, Fabio Viglione, said they respected the sentence — which included an 8,000-euro ($8,700) fine — but would appeal, continuing to insist on Becciu's innocence.

The cardinal had been accused of embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering, one of 10 defendants in a trial focused on a disastrous investment by the Vatican in a luxury building in London.

At the heart of the trial was the purchase of a building in London's upmarket Chelsea neighborhood, which resulted in losses that the Vatican claimed dipped into resources intended for charity.

Becciu was found guilty of embezzlement over the decision to invest $200 million in 2013 to 2014 into a fund run by financier Raffaele Mincione, which the judges said was hugely risky.

Some of this money went to buying part of the Sloane Avenue property — a deal in which the Vatican lost between 140 million and 190 million euros, according to prosecutors.

Financiers, lawyers and ex-Vatican employees accused of a range of financial crimes were also found guilty Saturday barring one, Becciu's former secretary Mauro Carlino.

with AFP