Trial/Court New trial against Erwin Sperisen begins in Geneva

Erwin Sperisen, the former head of Guatemala's national civil police, has been on trial in a Geneva court for the fourth time since Monday. The Swiss-Guatemalan dual citizen has been charged with accessory to murder.

"We will plead for acquittal and also for the case to be dropped," explained Giorgio Campa and Florian Baier, Sperisen's two lawyers, before the Geneva court.

The defendant is accused by the public prosecutor of having approved the shooting of seven prisoners by a hit squad when Guatemala regained control of the Pavon prison in 2006. The prison had fallen under the control of drug traffickers.

The case has been dragging on for more than twelve years due to appeals and has been pursued all the way to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The latter ruled that Sperisen had not received a fair trial. Sperisen, now 54, fled to Switzerland in 2007. He was arrested in Geneva in 2012.

SDA