Diplomat murder case: defendant to appeal rape conviction

Diplomat murdered: the defense appeals but not the public prosecutor's office Keystone-SDA

A man acquitted of murdering an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva in 1995, will appeal his conviction for other offences, including rape.

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The defendant was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for multiple rapes and other offenses earlier this month. Federal prosecutors, said they are satisfied with the verdict.

Interviewed by Keystone-SDA, the defendant’s lawyer said he has filed an appeal with the Federal Criminal Court. During his trial, his client, a 55-year-old dual Italian-Ivorian national, contested most of the charges.

For its part, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) decided not to lodge an appeal, after “carefully analysing” the oral reasoning of the judgment handed down by the Criminal Court on February 6. The decision of the other parties is not yet known.

Accusation widely followed

Prosecutors had requested that the 50-year-old be found guilty of several offences, in particular murder. His ex-girlfriend, on the other hand, was to be acquitted of complicity in murder.

On February 6, the court acquitted the defendants on both counts. However, the main defendant was found guilty of all other offenses, with the exception of a minor misdemeanor. The court therefore broadly followed the prosecution in imposing a custodial sentence of 15 years, as well as deportation from Switzerland for the maximum period of 15 years.

With regard to the murder, the OAG considers that “the arguments retained by the court are coherent and that they sum up very well the complexity of this singular case”.

Translated from French with DeepL/mga

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