The High Court judges on Tuesday the appeal in cassation of former bishop Cornel Onilă, sentenced to eight years in prison for rape and sexual assault.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice is judging his request for appeal in cassation, after the annulment contestation was rejected as inadmissible. The former bishop of Huși, Cornel Onilă, was found guilty of sexual abuse against students at the 'Ioan Gură de Aur' Theological Seminary in Huși, alongside former archimandrite Sebastian Jitaru. The court upheld the eight-year prison sentence, and Onilă has filed two extraordinary appeals. Additionally, the victims have requested damages of 500,000 euros, and the Huși Diocese has been summoned to court as a responsible party. Onilă denies the accusations, claiming that the evidence is fabricated, and the Romanian Orthodox Church has decided to defrock him.