Former politician may face fresh trial over alleged criminal perks

Allegations of taking criminal inducements continue to haunt former high-flying politician Pierre Maudet, despite his acquittal earlier this year. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Geneva prosecutors have appealed the acquittal of a former politician who had been accused of accepting financial inducements from the United Arab Emirates royal family.  

Last month, Pierre Maudet had his original criminal conviction and sentence overturned on appeal.

The ongoing case revolves around a trip made by Maudet and his family to Abu Dhabi in 2015, when he held a high-ranking political position in canton Geneva. The CHF50,000 ($55,000) cost of the trip, including a visit to a Formula 1 race, was said to have been covered by UAE royals.

Prosecutors insist that this represents taking unfair financial advantage of his political post and have now asked a higher appeals court to sentence Maudet to a 14-month jail term should he be convicted.

Maudet was once a high-flying Geneva politician who had been tipped to potentially become a federal government minister.

But the scandal saw him stripped of his cantonal offices and ejected by the centre-right Radical party. Maudet’s attempt to return to politics on an independent ticket ended in failure to be elected.