Editing Licio Gelli (section)

== Extradition to Italy and trials ==
Switzerland eventually agreed to extradite him to Italy, but only on financial charges stemming from the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano. Gelli's [[extradition]] in February 1988 required a high-level security apparatus, including 100 [[sharpshooter]]s, decoy cars, a train, road blocks and two [[armored car (VIP)|armored car]]s to transfer him to Italy.<ref>"Conspiracy suspect extradited Gelli shipped to Italy amid tight security," ''[[The Orange County Register]]'', February 18, 1988</ref> In July 1988 he was absolved of charges of subversive association by a Bologna court but was presented with a five-year prison term for slander, having side-tracked the investigation into the [[Bologna massacre|1980 bombing of the Bologna train station]]. Stipulations connected to his extradition, however, prevented him from serving time.<ref>{{cite news | title = Four Convicted Of Mass Murder In Italian Bombing That Killed 85 | publisher = Associated Press | date = 1988-07-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Court issues sentences in Bologna train bombing | publisher = United Press International | date = 1988-07-11}}</ref> Two years later, an appeal court threw out Gelli's slander conviction.<ref>{{cite news | title = Appeals Court Throws Out Bologna Bombing Convictions | publisher = Associated Press | date = 1990-07-19}}</ref> A retrial was ordered in October 1993.<ref>{{cite news | title = Second Appeals Trial Begins for Train Station Bombing | publisher = Associated Press | date = 1993-10-11}}</ref>

In 1992 Gelli was sentenced to 18 years and six months of prison after being found guilty of fraud concerning the collapse of [[Banco Ambrosiano]] in 1982 (a "black hole" of $1.4 billion was found). The Vatican bank, ''[[Istituto per le Opere di Religione]]'', main share-holder of the Banco Ambrosiano, consequently had a "black hole" of $250 million. This sentence was reduced by the [[Court of Appeal]] to 12 years. The year 1992 also saw the beginning of the trial of 16 members of the P2 Masonic Lodge, which included charges of conspiracy against the state, espionage, and the revelation of state secrets.<ref>{{cite news | title = P2 masonic lodge goes on trial for conspiracy | newspaper = The Independent | date = 1992-10-13}}</ref> In April 1994 Gelli received a 17-year sentence for divulging state secrets and slandering the investigation, while the court threw out the charge that P2 members conspired against the state;<ref>{{cite news | title = Berlusconi gets speakers elected | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 1994-04-18}}</ref> Gelli's sentence was reduced, and he was placed under house arrest two years later.<ref>{{cite news | title = Grandmaster of Italian P2 lodge arrested | publisher = Agence France Press | date = 1998-09-10}}</ref>

In April 1998 the [[Court of Cassation (Italy)|Court of Cassation]] confirmed a 12-year sentence for the Ambrosiano crash.<ref name=12years>"Top Italian fugitive Licio Gelli arrested in France," [[Associated Press]], September 10, 1998</ref> Gelli then disappeared on the eve of being imprisoned, in May 1998, while being under [[house arrest]] in his mansion near [[Arezzo]].<ref name=12years /> His disappearance was strongly suspected to be the result of being forewarned. Then, finally, he was arrested in the [[French Riviera]] in [[Cannes]]. Two [[motion of no confidence|motions of no confidence]] were made by the right-wing opposition (the [[Northern League (Italy)|Northern League]] and the ex-Christian Democratic splinter groups [[United Christian Democrats|CDU]]-[[Christian Democrats for the Republic|CDR]]), against the Justice Minister, [[Giovanni Maria Flick]], and the Interior Minister, [[Giorgio Napolitano]], stating that Gelli had benefited from accomplices helping him in his escape. They also made reference to secret negotiations which would have allowed him to reappear without going to prison. But the two ministers won the confidence vote.<ref>"Italian justice and interior ministers win confidence vote," [[Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata|ANSA]], May 29, 1998</ref> Police found $2M worth of gold ingots in Gelli's villa.<ref>{{cite news | title=Pots of Gold | work=[[BBC News]] | date=September 14, 1998 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/170679.stm}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Gelli deported back to Italy | work=[[BBC News]] | date=October 16, 1998 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/195136.stm}}</ref>

A few years after the Ambrosiano scandal, many suspects pointed toward Gelli with reference to his possible involvement in the murder of the Milanese banker [[Roberto Calvi]], also known as "God's banker", who had been jailed in the wake of the collapse of Banco Ambrosiano. On 19 July 2005 Gelli was formally [[indicted]] by Roman [[Magistrates]] for the murder of Roberto Calvi, along with former Mafia boss [[Giuseppe Calò]] (also known as "Pippo Calò"), businessmen Ernesto Diotallevi and Flavio Carboni, and the latter's girlfriend, Manuela Kleinszig. In his statement before the court Gelli blamed people connected with Calvi's work in financing the Polish [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement, allegedly on behalf of the [[Vatican City|Vatican]]. He was accused of having provoked Calvi's death in order to punish him for having embezzled money owed to him and the Mafia. The Mafia also wanted to prevent Calvi from revealing how the bank had been used for [[money laundering]]. [[Roberto Calvi#Prosecution of Giuseppe Calò and Licio Gelli|Gelli's name, however, was not in the final indictment]] at the trial that started in October 2005, and the other accused were eventually [[Roberto Calvi#Trials in Italy|acquitted due to "insufficient evidence"]], though by the time of these acquittals in June 2007, the prosecutor's office in Rome had opened a second investigation implicating Gelli, among others.<ref name=rep060607>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.repubblica.it/2007/06/sezioni/cronaca/sentenza-calvi/sentenza-calvi/sentenza-calvi.html Processo Calvi, la sentenza dopo 25 anni assolti Pippo Calò e gli altri imputati], La Repubblica, June 6, 2007</ref> In May 2009, the case against Gelli was dropped. According to the magistrate there was insufficient evidence to argue that Gelli had played a role in the planning and execution of the crime.<ref name=cds300509>{{in lang|it}} [http://www.corriere.it/cronache/09_maggio_30/gelli_archiviato_calvi_a7ba137c-4d04-11de-82fb-00144f02aabc.shtml Omicidio Calvi: archiviato procedimento contro Licio Gelli], Corriere della Sera, May 30, 2009</ref> Gelli has been implicated in [[Aldo Moro]]'s murder, since the Italian chief of intelligence, accused of negligence, was a ''piduista'' (P2 member).{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}}