Five people charged for Vatican leaks scandal

Gianluigi Nuzzi and four other are accused of using pressure to obtain secret documents

The Vatican has charged five people over a scandal that saw confidential documents leaked to the media.

High-ranking priest Lucio Vallejo Balda and former employee Francesca Chaouqui were arrested early in November.

They were members of a commission set up by Pope Francis to advise him on economic reform.

An assistant to Monsignor Balda and two journalists who published books with the revelations have also been charged.

A preliminary hearing has been set for 24 November.

They were questioned after information contained in the documents - including details of alleged corruption, theft and uncontrolled spending in the Holy See - appeared in books by Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi.

In a statement, the Vatican said magistrates "notified the accused and their lawyers of the charges filed... for the unlawful disclosure of information and confidential documents".

Ms Chaouqui was released shortly after her arrest after pledging to co-operate with authorities. Monsignor Balda remains in a Vatican cell.

Both, along with assistant Nicola Maio, are accused of forming "a brotherhood of crime" and stealing documents, the Vatican said.

The two journalists have been charged with soliciting and exerting pressure to obtain the information.

Mr Fittipaldi told local media he was "stunned" by the decision.

"Maybe I'm naive but I believed they would investigate those I denounced for criminal activity, not the person that revealed the crimes," he said.

"I understand they are seriously embarrassed in the Vatican over the things in my book, especially because they could not deny any of it. But I didn't expect a criminal trial."

They risk more than four years in jail.