Pierre Maudet acquitted in court
Published: Thursday, Feb 1st 2024, 12:00
Updated At: Thursday, Feb 1st 2024, 12:01
العودة إلى البث المباشر
Geneva State Councillor Pierre Maudet was acquitted by the police court on Thursday. The politician denied having rammed into another car and then driving on.
He was accused of ignoring an accident and thus acting in breach of duty. Maudet received a penalty order with a fine of CHF 2,000. He lodged an appeal against this.
A citizen of Geneva had accused the State Councillor of driving into his car from behind. The rear bumper of his vehicle had been severely damaged.
No witnesses, photos or videos
The police court has now ruled in Maudet's favor. Without witnesses, video recordings or police photos, it is not possible to prove that the accident that caused damage to the other vehicle took place at that time, said Judge Yves Maurer-Cecchini.
He pointed out that the positions of the two drivers differed greatly. According to the police court, it is not very credible to have such damage to the bumper of one car and only traces of a slight impact on the other vehicle.
It concludes that it has not been proven that there was an impact of such intensity. According to the judge, there was therefore no criminal offense.
"This is a dismissal of the case for a non-case," said Maudet after the hearing. The 45-year-old said that he had never tried to evade his responsibility and flee.
Tracked and reported to the police
The case dates back to March 2023. Maudet, who was not a member of the government at the time, was driving home after an election event in the Acacias district. A motorist claimed that he had been hit in the rear by Maudet's car. As the person responsible for the accident had not stopped, he had followed him and reported his license plate to the police.
A police patrol then drove to Maudet's house. On site, they inspected the car and only found traces of a minor impact at the level of the vehicle logo. The other driver reported that the rear bumper of his car had been damaged and bent.
Maudet said at the hearing that he had been driving at walking pace due to heavy traffic and could not remember having to brake at any point.
Convicted and re-elected
The former FDP politician, who later founded his own party, has already stood trial several times. In 2022, he was found guilty by the Federal Supreme Court of accepting benefits in connection with a luxury trip to Abu Dhabi in 2015.
He was sentenced to a fine of 300 daily rates of CHF 400 and was also ordered to pay the State of Geneva a compensation claim of CHF 50,000.
In April 2023, the population voted Maudet back into the cantonal government of Geneva after he failed in the election to replace himself in 2021.
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