One of the priests sentenced to imprisonment for child abuse still faces similar charges in Canada where the authorities say they are “committed to bringing him to justice”.

Francesco (Godwin) Scerri was wanted in Canada in 1993 for allegedly sexually abusing minors between 1983 and 1987 when he served at St William’s Church in Emeryville. The priest, however, fled to Malta before facing the charges.

A Canada-wide warrant for his arrest remains open, but he could not be extradited while the case in Malta was ongoing. His charge was resurrected by the Ontario Provincial Police in April last year.

Fr Scerri, 75, was handed a five-year jail term on Tuesday on similar charges during his time at St Joseph’s Home in Sta Venera. He was, however, cleared of a rape charge because of an error on his charge sheet.

When contacted following the Malta court decision, an Ontario police spokesman said its Criminal Investigation Branch had three inspectors on the case, which it classified as still “active”.

“The Crown Attorney’s office is now looking at the case and will determine what further action is warranted in order to bring Francesco Godwin Scerri to justice in Ontario.

“Due to the fact the investigation is ‘active’ there is limited information or detail that I can provide at this time except to say that the Ontario Provincial Police is committed to bringing this person to justice to answer to the allegations brought forward.”

The Canadian police did not say whether their extradition request would have to wait until the outcome of the appeal lodged by Fr Scerri, together with another priest convicted of sexual acts against children, Charles Pulis.