Online reports – Society – Allegation of sexual assault against Basel-Landschaft politician

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Indignantly rejects allegations: Accused politician Samuel Wehrli, with daughter

Samuel Wehrli, member of the Basel-Landschaft CVP party leadership, speaks of “character assassination” and “coercive detention”

From Peter Knechtli

Basel-based CVP politician Samuel Wehrli was held in custody in Liestal for eight weeks. The reason: suspicion of sexual misconduct against his now 10-year-old daughter. The accused, who contacted OnlineReports, indignantly denies the allegations and speaks of “character assassination” and a “judicial affair”. The outcome of the case is still completely unclear.

As usual, Samuel Wehrli (38), who lives in Pratteln BL, was doing his job as a financial controller on Friday, January 7th, when the police picked him up from his workplace at 3:15 p.m. The reason: “sexual acts with children, rape and defilement.” Wehrli said he no longer understood the world: “I'm in the wrong movie.”

Samuel Wehrli is no stranger in the Basel region. In his hometown of Pratteln, he is the president of the CVP local council faction, and his twin brother is the current FDP local councilor. At the cantonal level, Samuel Wehrli is a member of the cantonal CVP party leadership, and as the initiator of the party, he organized the Ruth Metzler Festival in Pratteln last August. Some internal voices even want him to run for the position of successor to the Christian Democratic government councilor Elsbeth Schneider. Wehrli was at the head of the campaign team when she was re-elected last year, as well as in the National Council elections last autumn.

Report by ex-wife

Wehrli was reported by his former wife, who had divorced him in 1992 and lived with their daughter Melissa* in a municipality in the canton of Zurich.

According to the girl, who is now ten years old, the father has “attacked her genitals several times” since 1996 when exercising her visitation and vacation rights (as Liestal case manager Patrizia Krug stated in a document). Since the beginning of last year, he has also attempted several times to penetrate his daughter's vagina with his penis. “Once,” the allegation goes, “he succeeded.” He also molested the girl's anus with colored pencils and sent her sex photos.

The accused vigorously denies

The accused Wehrli, who has no previous convictions, categorically denies all allegations. In the presence of his father, he assured OnlineReports: “Nothing at all has happened.” However, what has been done to him in recent weeks is “character assassination, combined with the most serious threat to my psychological, social and economic existence,” he wrote to friends and acquaintances on Friday. It cannot be ruled out that the “unbelievable accusations” against his daughter came about with the support or manipulation of third parties.

The accusations that Wehrli makes against the investigating Liestal District Office are correspondingly serious: “It was coercive detention to extract a confession from me.” Despite the presumption of innocence, the person in charge of the case told him immediately after his arrest that he should immediately admit to the crimes he was accused of. A judicial officer is said to have remarked to Wehrli's father: “Your son will get years for what he did.”

Procedure “correctly managed”

Wehrli, released from prison on March 1 after eight weeks, had unsuccessfully protested against his imprisonment with several complaints. He also demanded the removal of the person in charge of the proceedings – the decision was taken by Governor Daniel Spichty. The proceedings were conducted “quickly and correctly”.

The statements in the reports available so far give different indications of suspicion. According to Wehrli, no incriminating material was found during the house search. On the fitted sheet in Melissa's bedroom, traces of father and daughter were found, but no sperm.

A gynecological report from the Zurich Children's Hospital describes changes in Melissa that “could be interpreted as the result of sexual assault,” but that alone are “not proof.” The hymen shows “no tears.”

Expert statements from the Basel Family and Parenting Counseling Service are clearer about how credibly the girl described the alleged sexual assaults in a video recording. According to the report, Melissa has proven to be a “capable witness whose statements show relevant and experience-based quality characteristics.”

“Not pleasing” for the CVP

Whether Samuel Wehrli is guilty or not is something the court will have to decide if the public prosecutor's office ever files charges. According to investigating judge Spychty, the files will be “transferred to the public prosecutor's office in one to two months.” Neither Spichty nor his case manager wanted to comment on the pending case.

Government councillor Elsbeth Schneider told OnlineReports that she valued Wehrli as a “valuable colleague in the party” but that she did not know him personally. While he was in custody, they wrote him a letter saying “If you need me, I'm here for you”, but she did not know that he was in the Liestal remand prison right next to their government headquarters. The sentence referred to her suspicion that Wehrli was in poor health. “The case is not good news for the party,” added CVP cantonal president René Merz, who respects the accused as a “very active party member” but does not consider him to be among the elite of hopefuls. Neither Schneider nor Merz wanted to or could comment on the case itself.

“This cannot be undone”

A psychiatric report is pending to determine Wehrli's sanity and also to answer whether he poses a threat to public safety. “Unbelievable!” the victim reacts. “What the investigating authorities did to me cannot be undone.”

There is a residents' council meeting in Pratteln on Monday. Samuel Wehrli will be attending.

* Name changed. (The defendant's full name is mentioned with his express consent.)

16 April 2000

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