One of Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer’s sons has been handed a 16-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of robbery, attempted blackmail and traffic violations.
The contrite defendant told a court on Thursday that the pressure of having a well-known father and constant media attention had contributed to his behavior. The court had earlier rejected appeals from his lawyer to impose reporting restrictions.
The man was arrested after committing a robbery on a train in January 2016 together with an accomplice. They had tried to force the victim to withdraw money from an ATM, but only ended up with some perfume worth around CHF50 ($50) and some customer cards that had no value.
According to the court indictment, he later resisted arrest and caused damage to a police cell.
The court also heard of a previous offence of crashing a car whilst the defendant was over the alcohol limit. Another traffic violation and an offence of insulting a train ticket inspector were also taken into account during the hearing.
The defendant was also handed a 60-day fine of CHF80 for each day. The prison sentence was suspended for two years. “I have learned from my mistakes. It will not happen again,” he told the court.
Switzerland to introduce flight passenger database
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime.
Government plans to invest over CHF16bn in Swiss rail network
This content was published on
The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period.
Swiss to vote on pension reform and biodiversity in September
This content was published on
Swiss citizens will vote on occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.
Ukraine peace talks: 50 countries have confirmed participation
This content was published on
To date, 50 countries out 160 invited delegations have confirmed they will attend the Ukraine peace conference, held in central Switzerland in mid-June, according to Swiss public radio, RTS.
Federer-backed On boosts forecast after sneaker demand rises
This content was published on
Swiss footwear company On Holding AG posted strong first-quarter revenue, boosted by demand for its running shoes and new line of training apparel.
Michael Schumacher’s watches fetch CHF4 million at Swiss auction
This content was published on
Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
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.