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Geneva State Councilor Pierre Maudet has been sentenced to a conditional fine by the police court for his luxury trip to Abu Dhabi. To do this, he has to pay 50,000 francs to the state treasury.
Geneva government advisor Pierre Maudet on his way to the courtroom.
Photo: Martial Trezzini (Cornerstone)
The trial for acceptance of benefits against Pierre Maudet ends with a conviction. The sole judge Sabina Mascotto issued a two-year fine in the amount of 120,000 francs against the Geneva Council of State on Monday evening. For this, he has to pay 50,000 francs to the state treasury as compensation for his trip to Abu Dhabi. Maudet’s chief of staff and the two organizers of the trip were also convicted. The sentences are not yet final.
Maudet traveled to Abu Dhabi in November 2015 with his wife, children, the chief of staff and a friend. The group flew in business class and stayed at the Emirates Palace, one of the best hotels in the world. As the highlight of the trip, Maudet, 42, was able to attend the Formula 1 Grand Prix in a VIP box. The prosecution estimates the travel expenses of Maudet and his family at more than 50,000 francs, which the Council of State denies.
In 2016, the Genevan journalist Raphaël Leroy learned of the trip and learned that Maudet had also met with officials in Abu Dhabi. Maudet, however, emphasized to the journalist that the trip was purely private. In 2017, Maudet ran to succeed Federal Councilor Johann Schneider-Ammann. The trip was finally made public by the newspaper “Tribune de Genève” in 2018. Maudet now specified that a Lebanese businessman had paid for the trip. The Geneva prosecutor opened criminal proceedings. As it turned out, it was not the businessman but the ruling family of Abu Dhabi who had paid for the trip. Maudet had to publicly apologize for lying. In 2020, the prosecutor finally brought charges against Maudet, his chief of staff, and two organizers of the trip.
