The Athens Prosecutor’s Office mobilized after a 19-year-old complained to the Ombudsman who testified that he was a victim of abuse, and hour by hour the complaints are increasing – The history of the investigation
The allegations of sexual abuse of boys at the Non-Profit Organization, Ark of the World, are shocking. The Athens Prosecutor’s Office was mobilized after a 19-year-old complained to the Ombudsman who testified that he was a victim of abuse, and hour by hour the complaints are increasing. The investigation is now expanding with a flurry of depositions, with Ark founder Father Antonio professing ignorance of the allegations.
As reported by SKAI TV reporter Yannis Souliotis, today another minor boy gave a statement to the sub-directorate for the protection of minors for an incident of sexual abuse that he allegedly had take place in 2021 in the structure of the Ark in Chios. The particular boy is not a victim, but a witness to the sexual abuse of a young boy who lived with him in the particular structure by a member of the NGO. ELAS had been informed about the incident at the time, but when ELAS officials went to take a statement from the boy/witness in question, he had then refused to speak, out of fear, which happened today with a delay of several months, and apparently after the publication of the Ark research.
Research history
Regarding the history of the investigation, it started last August, on the occasion of some violations of an administrative nature by the Ombudsman, in consultation with the central welfare service of the Ministry of the Interior. The staff of the Ombudsman went to the five structures of the Ark throughout Greece, and in one of them they received a complaint from the 19-year-old who gave a detailed statement to the police last Wednesday night. The complaints were assessed as serious, forwarded to the Athens Prosecutor’s Office, which ordered a preliminary examination, which it assigned to the competent sub-directorate for the protection of minors.
In the sub-directorate for the protection of minors in the security of Attica, the accusations of sexual abuse that have been submitted they are essentially two. However, there is a general feeling that mouths have been opened, with testimonies from children who are either in or have passed through structures in the district generally speaking of abusive and problematic behavior towards them in Ark structures.
Besides, according to a statement from the ELAS Headquarters, the case file for the NGO returns to the First Instance Prosecutor’s Office.
The announcement in detail
“Regarding the case of a well-known NGO, the Hellenic Police Headquarters clarifies that, following an order from the Athens District Attorney’s Office, a Preliminary Examination was assigned to the Juvenile Protection Sub-Directorate of the Attica Security Directorate, which carried out preliminary investigations and submitted the relevant preliminary investigation material to the ordering Authority.”
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