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.