Australian police have questioned the former principal of a fervently Orthodox Jewish boys’ school in Melbourne over allegations of decades-old child sex abuse.

Rabbi Avrohom Glick, 67, a senior official inside the Chabad-Lubavitch community, made a voluntary statement to police and was released, his lawyer said on Monday.

The allegations of repeated rape inside the synagogue adjacent to the college are understood to date back to the 1970s. Rabbi Glick vehemently denies them.

He was immediately stood down from his position as head of Jewish studies at the boys’ high school, its principal confirmed in a letter to parents on Monday.

“Notwithstanding that Rabbi Glick is a highly respected staff member and community figure, in accordance with our policy and procedure, he was immediately stood down from his position at Yeshivah,” Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler wrote.

“We will continue his suspension from duties and all contact with the students of the school until the outcome of the inquiry is known.”

The college’s actions “should not be seen as prejudging the outcome of the investigation,” Rabbi Smukler wrote, offering support to possible victims.