Desk Report,
The mystery of the murder of ‘God’s banker’ has not been solved even after 43 years
Exactly 43 years ago today, the body of Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in central London. The incident caused a stir all over the world. Because this death involved Italian politics, the mafia, the Freemasons, and even the affairs of the Vatican City. Many questions surrounding his death still remain a mystery.
The mystery of the murder of ‘God’s banker’ has not been solved even after 43 years
Roberto Calvi was the chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, Italy’s largest private bank at the time. He had close ties to the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican. For this reason, he was known as ‘God’s Banker’. In June 1982, the 62-year-old Calvi disappeared. Exactly 9 days after his disappearance, on the morning of June 18, his body was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge. However, what surprised the UK police the most was the strange circumstances of his death. His body was found hanging from a scaffolding under the bridge. At that time, Calvi had a piece of brick in his pocket; along with it was about 10,000 pounds in cash in various currencies. In addition, a fake passport was found with the name “Gian Roberto Calvini”. There was also a one-way ticket with a Brazilian visa.
Despite these strange aspects, the initial autopsy report in July of that year said that no criminal signs were found on Calvi’s body. The report stated that the banker had committed suicide. However, many suspected that there might be something deeper and darker behind this death.
When the investigation began, a picture of a complex financial conspiracy emerged. The incident simultaneously involved the Italian banking sector, the mafia, the Freemasons (a secret brotherhood with special symbols) and, above all, the Vatican.
BBC journalist Hugh Scully said in a report, “Calvi was at the center of an incredibly complex web of international fraud and conspiracy.” The death of this banker triggered a massive political and financial scandal in Italy. Millions of dollars disappeared in a short time, leaving a lasting mystery.
There have always been questions about Calvi’s death. Several incidents have served to raise this question. For example, after the financial scandal came to light, Calvi fled from Rome, Italy, to London. Before fleeing, Calvi shaved off his mustache and disguised himself. From Rome, he flew to London via Austria on a private plane. Upon arriving in London, he rented a flat for a month. He had a passport and a plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The question arose then whether someone would make such preparations before committing suicide.
There are other incidents. Calvi’s death was not the only incident at that time. Because, just the day before Calvi’s death, his personal secretary Teresa Coroscher committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the bank’s headquarters in Milan. Teresa left a letter in which she cursed Calvi as a ‘destroyer of banks and employees’.
Secret groups, the mafia and the shadow of the Vatican
Calvi and his bank Banco Ambrosiano operated in a world where money, politics, religion and crime were intertwined. Banco Ambrosiano was founded in 1896. Since its establishment, the bank has had a long relationship with the Catholic Church of the Vatican. In fact, Vatican City has its own financial institution. Its name is the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), which is widely known as the Vatican Bank. At one stage, this Vatican Bank became the main shareholder of Banco Ambrosiano.
The Vatican Bank can be called a religious bank, where the Pope and priests have bank accounts. They also manage various financial investments of the Church through it. But since the Vatican itself is an independent state, no regulatory body in Italy can monitor this bank.
British journalist Hugh Scully said, ‘There are no currency exchange controls or other government restrictions in the Vatican; secrecy is the most important thing there. The level of secrecy is so deep that it is possible to send huge sums of money from here to anywhere in the world and no one except the few involved knows about it.’
Now coming to the story, Roberto Calvi, as the head of the Banco Ambrosiano bank, developed a close relationship with Archbishop Paul Marcinkas, the chairman of the Vatican Bank. However, this American archbishop (Marcinkas) had some financial connections and associates who were viewed with suspicion.
In this regard, journalist Hugh Scully said that the most well-known of these associates was the banker Michele Sindona, who had mafia connections. He was known in the banking world as the ‘Shark’. Sindona was once convicted of fraud in the United States and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was later transferred to a prison in Italy, where he died mysteriously in 1986 after drinking coffee laced with cyanide.
Roberto Calvi and Michele Sindona were both members of the secret Freemason group Propaganda Duo (P-2). Being members of the Propaganda Duo, Calvi and Sindona developed a close relationship from the late 1960s. Initially, Sindona gave Calvi advice on his banking career.
However, the Freemason group called P-2 was also linked to a far-right organization run by Italian billionaire and self-proclaimed fascist L.
