No defamation offenses provable at Ticino cantonal court
Published: Wednesday, Oct 2nd 2024, 11:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Oct 2nd 2024, 11:40
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No defamation offenses can be proven at the Ticino Cantonal Criminal Court. The extraordinary public prosecutor appointed to investigate a complaint to the court discontinues the proceedings.
The requirements for the suspected defamation offenses were not met, the Ticino cantonal government announced on Wednesday. The extraordinary public prosecutor from the canton of Graubünden was appointed by the Ticino government in mid-August.
The reason for the appointment was a complaint by two judges of the cantonal criminal court against three other ordinary judges for alleged defamation offenses.
After examining the files, the extraordinary public prosecutor had already concluded at the beginning of September that the legal requirements for a further criminal offense - that of pornography - were not met. This offense only concerned one of the three accused judges.
Investigation caused a stir in Ticino
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. Ermani's lawyer was initially unavailable for comment following the conclusion of the investigation on Wednesday.
The charges brought by the two judges and the subsequent appointment of an extraordinary public prosecutor caused quite a stir in Ticino. Left-wing parties called for Ermani's suspension or resignation.
©Keystone/SDA
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