Increasing pressure on the president of the Ticino cantonal criminal court
Published: Tuesday, Aug 27th 2024, 16:30
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Following the appointment of an extraordinary public prosecutor at the cantonal criminal court in Ticino, pressure is mounting on the president of the court. According to media reports, he is alleged to have sexually harassed a secretary. There are now calls for his resignation.
In a communiqué, the Ticino Greens call for a preventive suspension, while the Movimento per il Socialismo (MPS) party calls for parliamentary oversight and the resignation of the court president.
The SP Ticino writes that bullying and sexual harassment within the cantonal criminal court are "unacceptable" and must be clarified by the judicial council as quickly as possible. If the allegations are confirmed, the resignation of court president Mauro Ermani would be unavoidable.
Several observers have also raised the question of whether the court president is still in a position to preside over trials against people accused of sexual offenses.
"Serious situation"
On Monday, the cantonal commission for justice and law dealt with the case in an extraordinary meeting. On the radio and television station of Italian-speaking Switzerland RSI, its president Fiorenzo Dadò (Center Party) spoke of a "very serious situation".
Specifically, the president of the court is said to have sent a raunchy picture via WhatsApp to a female employee who was allegedly also bullied.
The photo published by the Ticino daily newspaper "La Regione" shows two huge plastic phalli and a woman sitting on a bench between them. Above the picture it says: "Ufficio penale", which means "penal authority" in German, but in this context is also an allusion to the word "penis".
A week ago, the Ticino government informed the public about the appointment of an extraordinary public prosecutor. He is to investigate the criminal complaint filed by two ordinary judges of the cantonal criminal court against the three other ordinary judges - including Ermani. According to media reports, the criminal complaint concerns slander and defamation in connection with the alleged case of bullying.
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