ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires Herald
Priest convicted of sexually abusing teenagers will remain free pending appeal
The Buenos Aires province Supreme Court yesterday rejected the appeal by priest Julio César Grassi and confirmed his sentence to 15 years in prison, ratifying his conviction for aggravated sexual abuse and the corruption of minors.
The case has lasted eleven years, and is likely to drag on a little longer, as Grassi has the option to appeal.
Juan Pablo Gallego, the prosecution lawyer representing the adolescents who were abused by Grassi, defined the latter as a “dangerous pedophile.”
As the Herald went to press, an arrest warrant on the priest had not yet been issued, with judicial sources reporting that such an order was not the responsibility of the provincial Supreme Court, but rather of Morón Criminal Court No.1. However such an order could also be appealed, meaning that he is unlikely to face time in prison in the near future.
Grassi’s sentence was confirmed by the Court in a public document signed by Judges Luis Genoud, Héctor Negri, Juan Carlos Hitters and Daniel Fernando Soria.
The Morón Criminal Court sentenced Father Julio César Grassi to 15 years in prison in 2009 following a seven-year trial, and in April this year, the court determined he had violated his house arrest conditions while his appeal was processed.
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