MOSCOW, October 1 - RAPSI. The Vatican court adjudicating the case against Paolo Gabriele, former butler to Pope Benedict XVI, rejected on the first day of trial Saturday evidence acquired during an investigation carried out by cardinals, according to a Reuters report which added that the trial will center exclusively on the results of an investigation carried out by Vatican prosecutors and police.

Gabriele stands accused of having stolen confidential papal documents for profit while serving in his former position. Judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre will preside over the panel of three judges adjudicating the case. Several witnesses were called during the first day of proceedings Saturday. The next hearing is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 2 at 9am.

According to the publication Vatican Insider, Gabriele faces up to eight years in prison if convicted on charges of “aggravated theft.” The sentencing structure comes from Italy’s 19th century Zanardelli Code, which has remained in place in the Vatican despite Italy’s adoption of a more recent criminal code.

If convicted, Gabriele will have two chances to appeal. If he remains unlucky throughout the process, he will serve out his sentence in an Italian prison.

Gabriele was arrested on May 23 at the Vatican home he shared with his wife and three children. At the time of his arrest, several boxes of confidential documents were discovered in the apartment. The contents of these boxes included the pope’s private letters, along with special equipment used to copy documents.

Gabriele is believed to have stolen a 100,000 Euro cashier’s check signed by the pope, a nugget of gold, and an edition of the Aenid published in 1581 in addition to the documents.

Claudio Sciarpelletti, former computer programmer for the Vatican’s secretariat of state, stands accused of collaborating with Gabriele.