Ticino judge exonerated of pornography charges
Published: Thursday, Sep 5th 2024, 18:20
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The investigation into a criminal complaint filed by two judges at the Ticino Cantonal Criminal Court against the three other judges has yielded initial results. According to information from the public prosecutor's office in Ticino, one of the judges can be exonerated of the charge of pornography.
After examining the files, the extraordinary public prosecutor came to the conclusion that the legal requirements for the criminal offense of pornography were not met, according to a statement from the public prosecutor's office. The investigation into this offense was therefore closed.
The investigations into the other offenses are still ongoing, the letter continued. These relate to alleged defamation.
While the accusation of defamation applies to all three accused judges, only one of them was additionally accused of pornography.
According to media reports from Ticino, the judge in question is the president of the court, Mauro Ermani. He is alleged to have sexually harassed a secretary. Specifically, Ermani allegedly sent the woman a raunchy picture via WhatsApp.
Mauro Ermani's lawyer did not wish to comment on the allegations until the investigation had been completed, when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency.
Left-wing parties demand suspension
Just over two weeks ago, the Ticino government informed the public about the appointment of an extraordinary public prosecutor from the canton of Graubünden. 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.
Parallel to the investigation, pressure on the court president increased. Left-wing parties in particular called for Ermani's suspension or resignation. 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.
The topic is also likely to occupy the Ticino cantonal parliament in its next session on September 16.
©Keystone/SDA
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