AUSTRALIA
9 News

Despite confessing to molesting his daughter, a Jehovah’s Witness senior official was first stood down by the church for adultery, a royal commission has heard.

Church elder Dino Ali admitted that a judicial hearing in 1989 dealt with the man’s adultery matter before allegations of sexual abuse, because they were dealing with “one issue at a time”.

He also said they could not be sure the man’s confession was true, based on his history of lying.

The victim, known as BCG, has previously said her father, a respected member of the church congregation in Mareeba, near Cairns, abused her and her three sisters.

Asked to read from his own notes from 1989, Mr Ali said: “(the father) has admitted to all things and also said that whatever (his daughter) said on molesting was true”.