Tariq Ramadan on trial in Switzerland over sex assault allegations

Grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder denies charges

Tariq Ramadan arrives on the second day of his trial in Geneva court house. AFP

Former Oxford University professor Tariq Ramadan has gone on trial in Switzerland accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

Mr Ramadan, 60, is accused of attacking a Swiss woman in a Geneva hotel after meeting her at a book signing. He said Brigitte invited him for a coffee, and then invited herself to his hotel room, having sent him a string of messages.

The Swiss scholar, who is the grandson of Hassan al Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, told a court in Geneva that he let himself be kissed by his accuser but denied there were any sexual relations between them.

The woman, who is known under the assumed name of Brigitte to protect her identity, was in her forties at the time of the alleged attack on October 28, 2008.

In court, a screen was placed between Mr Ramadan and Brigitte at her request, so that they could not see each other.

“I got these messages from someone who says they've met me before. I don't remember. She has a nice way with words, she's smart. Like any man, one can be intrigued,” he told the court.

“It's not a philosophical or sentimental meeting. It's curiosity about a woman who is extremely insistent on seeing me.”

Mr Ramadan said he wanted to fight against what he called the “lies and manipulation” in the case.

He insisted he had “never sexually assaulted anyone”.

Mr Ramadan could face two to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The trial is expected to last three days. The verdict is due to be delivered on May 24. Mr Ramadan will be able to appeal if convicted.

Controversial among secularists who see him as a supporter of political Islam, Mr Ramadan obtained his doctorate from the University of Geneva, with his thesis focused on his grandfather, who founded Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

He was a professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford University in the UK until November 2017, and held visiting roles at universities in Qatar and Morocco.

He was forced to take a leave of absence when sexual assault allegations were made against him in France at the height of the “Me Too” movement. The assaults were alleged to have taken place between 2009 and 2016.

Brigitte filed a complaint with the Geneva courts in April 2018.

The Swiss investigation moved slowly, as Mr Ramadan was initially in pre-trial detention in Paris and could not be questioned by the Swiss authorities.

After he was released in November 2018, he was put on probation and barred from leaving France.

However, he was given leave to cross the border into Switzerland for the Geneva trial.

Mr Ramadan has been a regular speaker at the banned French charity the Collective Against Islamophobia in France.