chargement...
The American priest accused of pedophilia and who has been hiding in Morocco for more than 25 years was extradited, Friday 21st of September, to the United States of America reports the US Department of Justice. Arthur Perrault, a Catholic priest, who was on the run since 1992 has been found and arrested by the Moroccan authorities on October the 12th, 2017.
After serving in Jemez Springs in New Mexico, US, father Arthur Perrault was appointed in 1967 at the archdiocese of Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico. In the early 70s, the priest led a not-so-Catholic lifestyle that was revealed after a complaint was filed by Kenneth Wolter.
In fact, the 35-year-old man accused Arthur Perrault of sexually abusing him when he was 10 years old. «Keeping Arthur Perrault away from kids is the number one priority for me, especially if he's still surrounded by kids because he'll never change», Kenneth Wolter told the Albuquerque Journal.
Always surrounded by kids in Tangier
In 1992, he completely disappeared, shortly before he was accused of abusing seven children in the parish.
The priest would have gone to Canada then to Morocco, to Tangier more precisely, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).The same year, Arthur Perrault announced to his followers his resignation and his sabbatical retirement.
He bought himself a ticket to Vancouver in Canada and disappeared. Eleven days later, 7 people filed a complaint against the archdiocese and explained that he abused children. Investigation showed that the first facility where he served had been closed following accusations of pedophilia by some priests.
But Arthur Perrault could not be found. Thanks to a Moroccan informant, the man installed in Tangier was identified. The priest became an English teacher at a local American school. Despite accusations of pedophilia, he still continued to be in contact with children at the American Language Center in Tangier.
Laid off after the outbreak of the case, the American national spent nearly a year in a Moroccan prison. Today, the former priest will finally be tried by US authorities after 25 years hidden in Morocco.
