Code words and safe phones: anatomy of a money smuggling plot

A woman walks past the entrance of the courthouse in Rome June 28, 2013. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

ROME (Reuters) - To most people, a book is a book. But to Monsignor Nunizio Scarano, a Vatican official arrested on charges of money smuggling, a "book" was a code word for one million euros in cash, a report by the judge on the case said.

"Encyclopaedia," and "bookmarks" were among other code words that Scarano, who had close connections to the Vatican bank, used in phone conversations with secret service agent Giovanni Zito and broker Giovanni Carenzio, it said.