The tribunal itself suffered a set-back last month, when hours of conversation over Skype between one of its presidingjudges and a Brussels-based lawyer were revealed in the press.
None were given an opportunity to be heard and no one--prosecutors, FBI, presidingjudges, Bureau of Prisons, or victims-found out about the clemencies until they were announced to the public.
During testimony, the three presidingjudges heard how Gabriele used the photocopier in his shared office next to the Pope's library to copy thousands of documents, taking advantage of his unrivalled access to the pontiff.