An Italian court has rejected a bid to quash an arrest warrant for Gianluigi Torzi, the shadowy financier who has been accused by the Vatican of embezzling funds in a controversial London real-estate deal. The court found that Vatican prosecutors have solid evidence to back the charges against Torzi, showing his dealings took “the form of a true and proper fraud.” Torzi was arrested in London on the basis of the arrest warrant, and is now free on bail as he awaits extradition hearings.

The Italian court’s ruling contrasts dramatically with a March decision by an English judge, who said that the evidence submitted by Vatican prosecutors, who had obtained a freeze on Torzi’s financial assets, was marred by “non-disclosures and misrepresentations so appalling” that he lifted the freeze.