KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dr Paul Gardner, who recently resigned as head of the Moravian church in Jamaica following a sex scandal surrounding the organisation, says he stepped aside from his leadership positions to allow a full investigation into allegations circulating in the media. 

Gardner tendered his resignation as president of the Moravian Church, the Teachers Services Commission and the Cooperative Credit Union Board, with immediate effect last week.

“I stepped aside from my day to day administrative responsibilities to give the church room to fully investigate these vile and unfounded allegations circulating in the media, and to prevent any of these institutions from having to deal with the distraction that this issue presents,” he explained in a release today.  

He also moved to defend his integrity and said he intends to “concentrate on protecting and clearing my good name”.

“I have been committed to a life of service to my church and my country which I always did with unquestioned integrity for more than 30 years,” he said.

Dr Gardner and vice-president of the church, Rev Jermaine Gibson, quit the executive of the church last Thursday as allegations of sexual misconduct continued to rock the Moravian church.

The events unfolded after a minister of the church, Rev Rupert Clarke, was arrested on rape and carnal abuse charges in connection with a 15-year-old St Elizabeth girl. 

He was later charged and is now out on $800,000 bail. The police reported that during a patrol on December 28 in Austin, St Elizabeth, they discovered Clarke with the minor in his parked motor vehicle.

A former minister of the church, Dr Canute Thompson, has since made claims that the head of the church knew about a pattern of behaviour of sexual misconduct in relation to Clarke, and that Gardner himself had promised to address the concerns. 

Gardner has denied those allegations, but the circumstances surrounding the Clarke case have worsened, with the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse indicating that Clarke could be slapped with more charges in relation to a sister of the 15-year-old minor