(Bloomberg) -- The Vatican court sentenced former cardinal and papal adviser Angelo Becciu to 5 1/2 years in prison for financial crimes related to a London real estate deal, in the Holy See’s longest ever trial.

Becciu, 75, the first cardinal ever convicted by the Vatican court, was accused of misusing Holy See finances to invest $200.5 million in a hedge fund run by Italian businessman Raffaele Mincione, the Vatican said in a statement Saturday. Risky investments included the purchase of a London building.

The trial started on July 27, 2021, and the court held more than 80 hearings, Italian media reported. Becciu’s defense team vowed to appeal the verdict. 

Read more: Bain Buys London Building at Center of Vatican Scandal 

Mincione and businessman Gianluigi Torzi were also convicted of various charges and sentenced to jail for allegedly defrauding the Vatican regarding the 2018 purchase of a €350 million ($381 million) property in London’s upscale Chelsea district. The property had sold for just £129 million six years earlier, and the defendants were accused of inflating the price with extra charges.   

Read more: Italian Faces Extradition in Scandal Over Vatican’s Chelsea Deal

Bain Capital eventually bought the building from the Holy See for £186 million in 2022. The building at 60 Sloane Avenue was originally developed as a car showroom for the Harrods department store.

Becciu’s lawer said the former cardinal planned to appeal the sentence, Ansa reported.  

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