BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA)
Buenos Aires Times
Nov. 20, 2019
Verdicts against Próvolo priests accused of sexually abusing deaf children due Monday
Lawyers ask for sentences of up to 50 years in the ‘Próvolo’ abuse case, in which two priests and a gardener are accused of rape and sexual assualt of minors at institute for deaf children in Mendoza.
Sentences in the so-called ‘Próvolo’ abuse case, in which two priests and a gardener stand accused of sexually abusing deaf children in their care, will be handed down next week as the curtain begins to close on a case that has sent shockwaves through Argentina’s Catholic Church.
Priests Nicola Corradi, an 83-year-old Italian, and 61-year-old Argentine Horacio Corbacho, as well as former gardener Armando Gómez, 51, are accused of sexual abuse, corruption of children and mistreatment at a Catholic school for deaf children, for which they could face up to 50 years in jail. Criminal Court No. 2 of Mendoza, led by judges Carlos Díaz, Aníbal Crivelli, and Mauricio Juan, will hand down their verdict on Monday.
The case relates to the alleged abuse of around 20 children from the Próvolo Institute in the western town of Mendoza, founded in 1995, which Corradi headed until his arrest in November 2016. The priests have been charged with 28 alleged crimes, including rape and sexual abuse, aggravated by their positions as guardians of minors.
A fourth person was charged, 57-year-old administrator Jorge Bordón. Just over a year ago, he broke his silence to acknowledge participation in at least 11 acts of abuse. In a shortened trial, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail, after lawyers for the defence and the prosecution agreed a plea deal.
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