Erwin Sperisen (centre, bearded) talks to journalists, flanked by his lawyers
Keystone
The retrial of the former head of Guatemala’s police force, Erwin Sperisen, on charges of multiple murder, has been delayed several months as his legal team moves to eject a judge form the hearing.
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Sperisen, a dual Swiss-Guatemalan citizen, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 after being found guilty of ordering the deaths of 10 prison inmates between 2005-2006 in the central American country. But earlier this year Swiss judges ordered a retrial because his defence was compromised by irregularities in the original hearing.
The new trial had been scheduled for November 28, but it has now been put back to April to give time to settle the legal wrangle. Sperisen’s lawyers argue that the president of the Genevan appeal court is biased against their client.
Sperisen is currently under house arrest in Switzerland. His lawyers have announced that they intend to sue the Genevan authorities for CHF1 million in damages, calling his original trial “one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in the annals of Switzerland”.
Sperisen moved to Switzerland after resigning from the police force in 2007. Nicknamed The Viking for his red hair, he inherited his Swiss citizenship from his father. He was tried in Geneva for alleged crimes committed in Guatemala as Switzerland does not extradite its citizens.
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The Swiss-Guatemalan dual citizen was jailed for life in 2014 for involvement in the deaths of ten prison inmates in Guatemala between 2005-2006. But earlier this year judges ordered a retrial because his defence was compromised by irregularities in the original hearing. “We will be seeking damages of more than a million francs from canton…
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The crimes for which he had been on trial occurred between 2005-2006. Sperisen was found guilty in this latest court session of ordering the execution of three prisoners who attempted to escape from a prison centre in November and December 2005. He was accused of asking his subordinates to make it seem as though detainees…
Life sentence for Guatemalan police chief Sperisen
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Sperisen, who has dual Swiss-Guatemalan citizenship, was on Friday sentenced to life for his crimes. According to the judges, because of his rank, Sperisen played a decisive role in the killings. In one case, he carried out one of the executions himself. Sperisen’s lawyers had been asking for his acquittal and have said they will appeal…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.