The Vatican has refused to allow a noted Italian lawyer to proceed with a lawsuit brought by Libero Milone, the Vatican’s former auditor general, against the Secretariat of State.

The Vatican ruled that Romano Vaccarrella, a former judge on Italy’s Constitutional Court, is not authorized to bring the case before a Vatican tribunal. The decision makes it uncertain whether Milone and his former deputy, Ferruccio Panicco, can proceed with their case, in which they promised to expose widespread corruption within the Secretariat of State.

The Vatican did not disclose why Vaccarrella would not be allowed to appear in the case.