Founder of children’s charity to stand trial for sexual abuse of minors
The Council of Misdemeanors has decided that Father Antonios will stand trial for the serial and continuous sexual abuse of two minors in the case of the children’s charity Ark of the World.
Father Antonios is accused of sexually abusing two minor boys between 2020 and 2022 in various Ark of the World facilities. The accusations against him were made by a 19-year-old former resident and a 15-year-old who is still staying at one of the organization’s facilities.
In mid-June, prosecutor Dimitris Nomikos recommended to the Council of Misdemeanors that the founder of Ark of the World be charged with sexual acts against two boys, one of whom was under the age of 14 at the time of the alleged abuse.
In his recommendation, he concluded that there is sufficient evidence against the cleric to support a trial in court for the act of sexual abuse of two minors, repeatedly and continuously.
The prosecutor rejected the defendant’s claims regarding the unreliability of the two allegations made by the former residents of the Ark.
According to the prosecutor, the victims’ statements are corroborated by witnesses who either observed the incidents or recalled what the victims told them before the official complaints were filed.
The prosecutor added that the witnesses confirmed the relationship of the victims with the defendant, especially the prolonged stays of the victims in the defendant’s private areas.
