Swiss PEP found guilty of sexual assault says he was victim of extortion attempt
His lawyers claim he suffered 'serious heart problems' while in detention
The unnamed ‘politically exposed’ Swiss man who was found guilty of sexually harassing a hotel worker has said he was the victim of an extortion attempt, while also being threatened with “indefinite detention” by authorities.
The 59-year-old man was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for three years, after pleading guilty to sexually harassing a cleaner.
Magistrate Leonard Caruana had approved the defence's request to ban the publication of the accused man’s name on the basis that he is a politically exposed person, and the incident could have a serious impact on his career.
In a statement released through his lawyers in Switzerland, they say their client “was the victim of proceedings based on unfounded allegations; there is a suspicion that the allegations were withdrawn in return for payment.”
It is not clear against whom the extortion allegations are being made.
The statement goes on to say that while he was staying in a hotel waiting for his partner and her daughter, he was arrested and placed in pretrial detention.
“The Maltese authorities threatened an indefinite detention pending the investigation. While in detention, the person concerned began to suffer from serious heart problems, which ultimately required hospitalisation.”
The lawyers state that, given the man’s critical health condition and the suspended sentence handed down by the courts, the person concerned felt tempted to admit the “unfounded and false” allegations, “to avoid further serious health consequences and to be able to leave the country.”
“According to his Maltese lawyers, such cases are not uncommon in Malta.”
An accused party is required to state whether they plead guilty or not guilty at the very start of proceedings. The Swiss man pleaded guilty.
“The victim has left Malta with his partner and her daughter and is now safe, but now faces an equally arbitrary media trial. The family is supporting the victim during this difficult time.”
The statement concludes by saying “the victim strongly condemns any form of violence, whether psychological or physical, and intends to challenge the Maltese authorities' decision before the relevant courts.
It is not clear which courts the statement is referring to.
The man will also be appealing his expulsion from Die Mitte, the Swiss centre-right party in whose name he had contested an election for the Ascona City Council in the Canton of Ticino.
None of the above allegations feature in the court judgment, which instead notes that the man admitted all charges against him and entered an unconditional guilty plea.
Questions regarding the allegations have been sent to the police, as well as the lawyer who represented him in Malta.