A three-justice Athens misdemeanor court on Thursday handed down suspended jail sentences against the founder and former director of the children’s charity and shelter Kivotos tou Kosmou (Ark of the World) on simple assault charges involving two teenage residents of the latter.
Fr. Antonios Papanikolaou, an Orthodox priest, and four former employees of the central Athens shelter were convicted of the charges. They remained free pending appeal.
The shelter’s founder was acquitted of 15 out of 19 misdemeanor charges filed in the case. The guilty verdicts involved his alleged instruction to one of the employees to slap the two teenagers.
The initial accusations and subsequently persecution against Fr. Antonios shocked public opinion in the country, as the specific charity was amongst the most prominent in the country and held up as an example.
A judicial order, on the back of probes by prosecutors and state services, subsequently ordered a change in the administration and board of the shelter, which was founded by Fr. Antonios.
The suspended sentence imposed on Fr. Antonios is 51 months, which he can buy out, assuming an appeal is rejected, at a rate of 10 euros per day.
He still faces felony charges in a more serious case of assault still to be adjudicated.
In his first reaction outside the courthouse, the cleric again declared his innocence.
“I am innocent and I remain innocent. I continue my struggle, I continue to accede up my own personal Calvary, until my final vindication,” he said.
