Ark founder to stand trial accused of sexual abuse

A first-instance prosecutor has recommended that Father Antonios Papanikolaou, founder of children’s charity Ark of the World, be brought to trial for the sexual abuse of two minors, now aged 19 and 15, entrusted to the charity’s care.

Stressing that there was sufficient evidence of the defendant’s guilt, the prosecutor said the cleric took advantage of his dominant position at the charity and the trust placed in him by the children. 

Papanikolaou has denied the charges against him, claiming a methodical fabrication of facts, in particular by the first accuser, who he said pressured and incited the second to testify that he had been the victim of sexual harassment.

The charges relate to actions that allegedly took place from September 2020 to January 2022.

The prosecutor asked the court to maintain the restrictive conditions of not leaving the country, bail and appearing once a month at a local police station.