The Geneva prosecutor’s office has asked the Guatemalan authorities for assistance in its investigation of a Swiss accused of executing prisoners in that country.
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The man, a dual Swiss-Guatemalan national, served as head of Guatemala’s Civil National Police from 2004 to 2007. Guatemalan authorities allege he was part of a criminal organisation involved in murder, kidnapping, blackmail, robbery and drug dealing.
Although Guatemala has issued an arrest warrant for the man, as a Swiss national he cannot be extradited.
The man denies the charges and is reported to have claimed he fled to Switzerland because he had received death threats.
In a statement on Thursday, the Geneva prosecutor’s office said it had interviewed the man on Tuesday “as a person required to give information”, following which it sent an official letter requesting information from the Guatemalan authorities.
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