An investigation for fraud and accusations of violence and sexual abuse has been opened in Greece concerning a leading NGO dealing with children, a judicial source announced on Sunday (November 27th).
This NGO,
L'Arche du Monde
, has hosted hundreds of children since its foundation and has received numerous awards, including in 2018 the European Citizens' Prize which rewards people or organizations each year for their action promoting the integration and tolerance.
Three preliminary investigations are underway, said the same source.
One of them relates to possible fraud within the NGO, which over the years has received millions of euros and dozens of properties from private donors.
In August, a top Greek diver said he was fired by the NGO after reporting one of its employees who he said had beaten three children.
Sexual abuse
A 19-year-old young man, hosted by
L'Arche du Monde
, recently accused one of its managers of sexually abusing him.
The founder of the NGO, Father Antonios Papanikolaou, who has worked since 1998 with children from poor Greek families or migrants, rejected all these accusations.
Read alsoMigrants: the dangerous liaisons between NGOs and smugglers
As a precaution, this week the government completely changed the NGO's board and management.
"
The children are safe
," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Alpha TV, noting that the case was "
complicated
".
“
We want to know more about the finances (of the NGO).
It is an organization that manages large sums of money, mainly from private donations,
” he added.
The head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos, stressed that Father Papanikolaou was "
solely responsible
" for the functioning of the organization, and that he had "
never consented
" to cooperate with clerical officials in social assistance charge.
“
Both within the Church and in all of Greek society, we are shocked to the highest degree
,” he added.