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Trial opens into 1995 murder in Geneva of Egyptian diplomat

Trial opened in the 1995 murder of a diplomat
Trial opened in the 1995 murder of a diplomat Keystone-SDA

The criminal chamber of Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court has opened the main hearing in the case of the murder of an Egyptian diplomat in Geneva in 1995. The main defendant is an Italian-Ivorian dual citizen. A woman is on trial for aiding and abetting.

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The main defendant is currently in custody for security reasons. In addition to the murder, he is accused of various other offences, including rape. The co-defendant is a French-Swiss dual national. She is accused of being an accessory to murder.

Presided over by Judge Jean-Luc Bacher, the criminal chamber has announced the programme for the trial, which will last until December 19. The verdict is to be announced on January 27, 2025.

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In the preliminary questions, the main defendant’s lawyer raised the difficulty of accessing certain documents in the file in electronic form. The court will question the defendants about their current personal circumstances on Monday.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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