Father Antonios, the founder of the Greek children’s charity Ark of the World, has been unanimously acquitted by a court in Ioannina, along with two co-defendants who worked as educators and managers at the organisation’s residential facilities in Pogoniani and Konitsa, north-western Greece.

The verdict followed ten court hearings and concerned allegations of physical abuse, unlawful detention, unlawful coercion and threats against children living at the facilities.

Visibly emotional after the verdict was announced, the charity’s founder described the decision as a vindication of Ark of the World’s work, while his defence lawyers maintained that none of the allegations had been substantiated during the trial.

Father Antonios: ‘The court has found me innocent’

In his first comments following the conclusion of the trial, Father Antonios expressed relief at the verdict, emphasising its significance for the people who had worked and volunteered at the charity’s facilities. “The court has found me innocent,” he said, before reflecting on the work carried out by Ark of the World over the years.

“After all this time, we have been acquitted, but what matters most to me is that the work of Ark of the World has been shown to be unblemished and that it gave everything it could to society,” he said. “That is the greatest satisfaction for me: that today the tremendous work of Ark of the World, which we carried out for years, has been vindicated,” he added, linking the acquittal to the contributions made by the charity’s employees and volunteers.

Father Antonios also spoke about the support he said he had received from members of the public throughout the four years that the case had attracted widespread publicity. “Because I go out and meet people, you know, I never encountered a single person who said anything bad to me. They embraced me and gave me courage,” he said.

He described that response as “a great miracle”, arguing that negative media coverage had not changed the views of people familiar with the charity’s work. “Despite the barrage of negative publicity, people did not believe these lies,” he said, concluding: “I thank God and, truly, the people who serve justice for everything.”

Defence lawyer: ‘He was not acquitted because of reasonable doubt – no charge was proven’

Defence lawyer Dimitris Dimos addressed the court proceedings and the evidence examined during the ten hearings, arguing that the allegations against the defendants had not been supported by the evidence presented. “All of this collapsed following the genuinely exhaustive process conducted by the court and its subsequent ruling,” he said.

Dimos placed particular emphasis on the nature of the acquittal, maintaining that the decision was not, in the defence’s view, simply a case of the defendants being given the benefit of the doubt. “What matters is that he was not acquitted because of reasonable doubt. None of the charges was proven,” he said.

The lawyer argued that the verdict was particularly significant in restoring the reputation of both Father Antonios and the charity’s facilities in Epirus, the region of north-western Greece where the alleged incidents took place.

He noted that the operation of the facilities during the period in question had been scrutinised and assessed as part of the court proceedings.

Defence lawyer: ‘Judicial decisions must be based on evidence, not media reports’

Another defence lawyer, Christina Mastora, described the ruling as a substantive vindication of Father Antonios and the educators involved, stressing that the verdict had been reached after the court assessed the evidence contained in the case file. “Today’s acquittal represents a genuine vindication of Father Antonios and the educators who devoted their entire lives to the children who were cared for by Ark of the World,” she said.

Mastora also addressed how the case had been presented publicly, emphasising the importance of distinguishing judicial findings from impressions created by media coverage. “Every person has the right to be judged fairly, on the basis of the evidence contained in their case file, rather than through media reports and the impressions those reports create,” she said.

Defence lawyer: ‘They were treated as guilty for four years before they even stood trial’

Defence lawyer Giorgos Georgiou focused on the public treatment of the defendants, arguing that a climate of presumed guilt had prevailed for four years before the allegations were examined in court. “I want to emphasise that for four years they were treated as guilty before they had even stood trial,” he said, alleging that the presumption of innocence had been disregarded in public debate.

In a joint statement issued following the verdict, the three defence lawyers stressed that the court had reached its decision after assessing the evidence presented before it. “The final word, therefore, belongs to the judiciary, which has ruled on the basis of evidence rather than impressions,” they said.

The lawyers also called on the media to give the acquittal the same prominence as the criminal prosecution had received when it was first announced in 2022. “We expect his unanimous acquittal to be heard just as loudly as the accusations against him,” Georgiou said.

Other legal proceedings remain ongoing

The unanimous acquittal relates specifically to the case heard in Ioannina and the allegations concerning events said to have taken place at Ark of the World’s residential facilities in Pogoniani and Konitsa.

Other legal cases involving the charity remain ongoing and are being considered separately by the courts, as Father Antonios himself acknowledged in his remarks following the verdict.