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Pope Francis Facing Investigation Over Alleged Wiretaps in London Property Sale
Pope Francis is reportedly under scrutiny for allegedly authorizing illegal wiretaps during an investigation into a controversial £300 million London property sale.
The incident centers around claims that Pope Francis permitted wiretaps as part of a Vatican investigation into the sale, which has been described as corrupt. This move has drawn complaints from British financier Raffaele Mincione’s legal team, who have approached the UN with allegations of abuses during the trial.
Human rights barrister Rodney Dixon KC accused the Pope of approving wiretaps on Mincione’s phone. The trial revealed that Pope Francis allowed investigators to tap phones, intercept emails, and make arrests without judicial approval, all based on ancient laws granting the Pope such powers.
Dixon’s complaint to the UN criticizes the Pope as a “perpetrator” of human rights abuses. He argued that the Pope’s authorization enabled surveillance without proper justification, oversight, or a way to challenge it legally.
The Vatican accuses Mincione of defrauding it by inflating the price of a former Harrods warehouse in Chelsea, in which it invested £124 million through a fund managed by Mincione. Prosecutors have charged Mincione and 10 others, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, with fraud, embezzlement, and abuse of office.
Mincione has denied the allegations, asserting that independent experts correctly valued the property. He expressed his frustration to The Daily Telegraph, stating, “My basic rights have been trampled on and ignored. How can it be correct that I have been handed criminal penalties for breaches of spiritual law which only apply to members of the Church, which don’t seem to apply to anyone else that handles the Vatican’s investments, and which I didn’t know anything about?”
A Vatican spokesperson defended the investigation, saying, “The legitimacy of the investigations and the correspondence of the Vatican judiciary system to the principles of fair trial has been recognized by various foreign courts.”
Mincione hopes that the United Nations will pursue justice in this matter, calling the experience devastating for him and his family.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reportedly declared a strike at Taraba State University over outstanding salary-related demands and delays in payments.
The strike is scheduled to begin today, October 12, 2026. According to the union’s chairman, the union had been engaging the Taraba State Government over its outstanding demands since February 2026.
“The union had exercised considerable patience and demonstrated its commitment to dialogue since February 2026, when it began engaging the Taraba State Government over the outstanding issues,” Mbave said.
“The union had earlier suspended its planned industrial action following an appeal by the government for additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, in the interest of maintaining industrial harmony,” the chairman added.
The Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Torseer Yina, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the ancient town.
The curfew takes effect from Thursday, October 8, 2026, following unrest and violent protests in the area.
According to reports, the action was taken to contain the unrest and violent protests by members of BEMOA following the death of one of its members by unknown gunmen.
The protest, which was reportedly hijacked by hoodlums, turned violent after an angry mob burnt two vehicles belonging to the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
The Gboko council chairman said the curfew takes effect immediately and warned that anyone caught flouting the order or breaching public peace would be decisively dealt with.
Nine people have died in a fatal road crash along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway in Ogun State.
The crash occurred on Monday at about 4:55pm around the Bethel area along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore axis of the expressway. It involved a white Toyota Hiace commercial bus belonging to Delta Line and a white Sino truck operated by Bill Gas Solution Ltd.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), all nine people involved in the crash, comprising three males and six females, died in the incident.
The FRSC said the crash occurred while it was raining and the road was wet, with preliminary investigations identifying speed violation as the probable cause.
The FRSC rescue team arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the report, while the bodies of the victims were taken to the General Hospital Morgue in Ijebu-Ode.
The Ogun State Sector Commander, Oludare Ogunjobi, urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to obey speed limits and exercise extra caution when driving in the rain.
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