Vatican fraud trial to resume with boost for prosecution

REUTERS/John Sibley/File PhotoVATICAN CITY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The Vatican's landmark fraud and embezzlement trial resumes after a long break on Tuesday with the beleaguered prosecution buoyed by two favourable decisions in related cases by Swiss and Italian courts.The trial, in which defendants are accused of fraud and other crimes around the Vatican's 350 million euro ($400 million) purchase of a luxury building in London, is still mired in procedural wrangling.Tuesday's hearing, only the sixth since the trial started amid much fanfare in July, will likely do little more than settle several more preliminary issues, meaning the trial won't get going in earnest until February.At the last hearing on Dec. 14 - which lasted only 10 minutes - a frustrated court president Giuseppe Pignatone said he hoped the preliminary phase could end soon so the hearings could be held more frequently.Four of original 10 defendants were temporarily removed from the indictment in October after Pignatone found fault with the original investigation.