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(CNN Spanish) - The Justice of Venice, Italy, refused to detain and extradite the religious Eliseo José Pirmati, accused of the crimes of aggravated sexual abuse, obscene exhibits and corruption of minors in the Provolo Institute for deaf children in the city of La Plata , 60 kilometers from Buenos Aires.
The investigation into abuses at the institute's headquarters in the province of Mendoza was convicted on Monday, but Pirmati served in another school headquarters.
Pirmati is 83 years old, is Italian and lived 43 years in Argentina. He is a lay member of the Provolo congregation, has the position of brother and worked side by side with the priests. He returned to Italy in December 2017, while being investigated in Argentina.
Whistleblowers in the case of La Plata are men who were between 8 and 15 years old when the events would have happened.
- MIRA: Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: sentences of up to 45 years in the Próvolo case
Alberto Bochatey, appointed by Pope Francis as the controller of the Provolo congregation after the accusations, told CNN that Pirmati does not wish to speak with the press and argues that he is innocent. "It is available to Justice," he added.
The Italian authorities sent a document to the judge of the case in La Plata, which CNN agreed, in which they said they reject Pirmati's arrest and extradition request for the moment and request a series of details about the case and the accusation: they want know exactly in what years the reported abuses would have been committed to determine whether or not the crimes are prescribed in Italy; where exactly Pirmati was born, since this is Italian and has an advantage over an extradition of his country to a foreigner; if Pirmati was nationalized as Argentine; and also the specific crimes of which he is accused, among other issues.
On Tuesday, prosecutor Cecilia Cordfield, in charge of the Provolo case in La Plata, again asked the judge of the case to insist on the arrest and extradition of Pirmati in Italy, a direct source of the case told CNN. The judge has the request but has not yet analyzed it.
The Italian authorities must decide once again if they extradite Pirmati to face the Justice or if they dismiss the accusations against him and reject the request.
At the end of April, the judge requested the arrest and extradition of Pirmati after accessing the testimony of alumni who were in contact with the religious, according to the file.
- READ: Two priests and a gardener in Argentina are convicted of sexual abuse of deaf children
The case against the congregation of Provolo does not begin or end in Argentina. Dozens of alumni in Verona claim to have been victims of abuse since 1950. These abuses would have extended for seven decades in Verona, La Plata and Mendoza, the main headquarters of the institute. The controller said they expect Justice to come to the truth.
In Italy, the Church began an internal investigation in 2011, but only condemned 1 of the 26 defendants. In a house of that same headquarters, in the north of Italy, is where Pirmati is now staying since he left Argentina.
The situation of another defendant: Corradi
In the Provolo de La Plata case there is another accused: the priest Nicolás Corradi.
Corradi was sentenced Monday by a Mendoza court to 42 years in prison, but due to his advanced age and health status he is in house prison. The priest was sentenced for five acts of aggravated sexual abuse with carnal access, simple sexual abuse and corruption of minors.
- MIRA: Provolo Case: This is how the complainants reacted to the conviction of the accused for sexual abuse
A source close to the case confirmed to CNN that the prosecutor in charge of the investigation in La Plata on Tuesday asked the judge of the case to arrange for the priest Corradi to appear to testify in this city, which is more than 1,100 kilometers from Mendoza, where Corradi was convicted and detained.
The priest's defense will not make statements for the moment.
Sexual abuse Sexual abuse in the Church Abuses of priests accusations accused Victims
