The Public Prosecutor in Saint-Étienne, France, has announced the opening of a preliminary investigation against a 60-year-old French priest on charges of committing sexual assaults against a minor over the age of 15 and young adults in Morocco.
The priest, Antoine Exilman, has attempted to defend himself by claiming that these “sexual acts” were consensual with the victims.
Exilman also faces a complaint filed with the public prosecutor’s office in Casablanca, according to the statement from the prosecutor. The investigation focuses on allegations of “sexual assaults on adults and a minor over the age of 15 by a person in a position of authority due to their professional role.”
Currently residing in the Loire region of France since his return in the summer of 2024, Exilman was questioned by judicial police in July.
Exilman was sent to Morocco by the Diocese of Rennes, France, between 2016 and summer 2024, where he was responsible for assisting migrants and refugees. He is suspected of having sexual relations with migrants and refugees he cared for, including a minor, during his time in Rabat and Casablanca from 2020 to 2024.
In his statement, Exilman confirmed that these “sexual acts” took place “between 2020 and 2024 in Rabat and Casablanca,” and that they “were always consensual.”
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