Poland arrests priest on sexual abuse charges in Dominican Republic, thenews.pl

Santo Domingo.- Polish priest Wojciech Gil (Padre Alberto) was arrested in his country Monday in connection with charges of sexually abusing several boys in a town of the Dominican Republic, outlet thenews.pl reports.

Quoting Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Przemyslaw Nowak, who “confirmed the news on Monday morning,”

News.pl said the pries, whose full name it withheld the under Polish privacy laws, has been under investigation by the Polish authorities since late September.

“The Dominican Republic’s attorney general transferred its case files, containing about 650 documents, to Poland last autumn, and it is understood that if charges are brought, the cleric will be tried in Poland,” the outlet said.

In Dominican Republic, Gil is charged with molesting several boys while head of the parish in the mountain town of Juncalito for close, Santiago. He has denied the accusations.

In addition to the alleged victims’ testimonies, authorities, Dominican officials affirm having found child pornography on the priest’s computer in Juncalito.

Gil’s case is part of a wider investigation into the also Polish prelate and Pope Francis envoy Jozef Wesolowski, also charged with sexually abusing boys. The Vatican pledged to investigate the case after he was secreted out of the Dominican Republic by the Holy See.

Prison

According to Polish law, Gil could face as long as 12 years in prison if convicted.