After He Was Prosecuted for Sex Abuse, Father Pacheco Wanted to Testify El Litoral November 24, 2011  [Translated into English by BishopAccountability.org. Click below to see original article in Spanish.] http://www.bishop-accountability.org/Argentina/news/2011_11_24_El_Litoral_After_He_PACHECO_Spanish.pdf   Father Domingo Pacheco, detained for alleged sexual abuse of a 20-year-old young man who was a member of a church choir in the town of Esquina, was prosecuted and the presiding judge ordered his preventive detention.  The defendant asked to testify and could do so today.   For criminal court judge Gustavo Vallejos, sufficient evidence in the case records has been amassed, and he therefore prosecuted the priest for the crime of sexual abuse “con acceso carnal doblemente agravado en concurso real.”   Separately, the judge ruled as “lacking merit” the case of a 19 year-old old who accused Pacheco of having harassed him when he was 14   In communication with El Litoral, lawyer Rolando Moreyra, who represents the defendant (who will remain in detention at the local police station), said his client will give declarations today with the intent to give clarity to the case.   “Until now he abstained from giving testimony because we were convinced there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute him, so the judge’s decision surprised us.  Therefore, as a first measure we’ll appeal the ruling in the Court of Appeals of Corrientes.  We are confident we’ll get a favorable resolution and that [Pacheco’s] immediate release will be ordered.” "It’s not understandable that there can be a ‘lacking merit’ verdict in one case, if both cases are the same in [terms of] the development of the criminal complaint.” “So we decided to have Pacheco testify.  We believe his testimony will be important for the judge.  At any rate, the psychiatrist who performed exams on the victim still has to appear in court, as well as the bishop of Goya, Monsignor Ricardo Faifer,” said Moreyra, who considered that the resolution reached by Judge Vallejos was made without legal basis and cannot be upheld.   It’s duly noted that the incident in question, according to the criminal complaint, took place at the chapel of San Antonio, which is in the neighborhood of San Antonio and is supported by the parish of Santa Rita de Casia, which forms part of the Diocese of Goya.  It was there [in the chapel of San Antonio] that Father Domingo Pacheco performed his priestly functions for at least five years.  According to statements by the victim, the priest abused him on numerous occasions.

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