Former politician may face fresh trial over alleged criminal perks
Allegations of taking criminal inducements continue to haunt former high-flying politician Pierre Maudet, despite his acquittal earlier this year.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Geneva prosecutors have appealed the acquittal of a former politician who had been accused of accepting financial inducements from the United Arab Emirates royal family.
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Last month, Pierre Maudet had his original criminal conviction and sentence overturned on appeal.
The ongoing case revolves around a trip made by Maudet and his family to Abu Dhabi in 2015, when he held a high-ranking political position in canton Geneva. The CHF50,000 ($55,000) cost of the trip, including a visit to a Formula 1 race, was said to have been covered by UAE royals.
Prosecutors insist that this represents taking unfair financial advantage of his political post and have now asked a higher appeals court to sentence Maudet to a 14-month jail term should he be convicted.
Maudet was once a high-flying Geneva politician who had been tipped to potentially become a federal government minister.
But the scandal saw him stripped of his cantonal offices and ejected by the centre-right Radical party. Maudet’s attempt to return to politics on an independent ticket ended in failure to be elected.
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Ex-politician in Geneva cleared of criminal offence over Abu Dhabi trip
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Former Swiss politician Pierre Maudet has been cleared of accepting undue accepting perks when he was a member of the Geneva government.
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Pierre Maudet, the Geneva politician found guilty of accepting perks, has lost his bid for election to the Geneva cantonal government.
Embattled ex-Geneva minister to face trial over Abu Dhabi visit
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Pierre Maudet, the former Geneva minister for business promotion, is to face trial in the coming months, it has been confirmed.
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