The head of the Swiss armed forces, Roland Nef, has been suspended from his post amid new revelations about allegations of sexual harassment, the official Swissinfo news website reported on Monday.
It is the latest step in an ongoing controversy over the appointment of Nef as chief commander a year ago and the role of Defense Minister Samuel Schmid, according to the report.
"I asked the chief commander to put an end to the assumptions, rumors and allegations. He has until Aug. 20 to confirm the confidence put in him," Schmid said in a statement on Monday.
Schmid said he would ask the cabinet to relieve Nef of his post as chief of the armed forces if he failed to give unequivocal proof of his personal integrity to the government, parliament and the public.
Nef's deputy, Andre Blattmann, has taken over as army chief on an interim basis.
According to newspaper reports, Nef was accused by a former girlfriend of sexual harassment. She allegedly filed a complaint accusing him of sending her address and photograph to a pornographic website.
The case of coercion -- a legal term which includes stalking and harassment by email or telephone -- was later closed. Nef agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money to the victim as part of an out of court settlement with the public prosecutor.
Schmid called on the media to respect Nef's rights as an individual and repeated his support for him.
"Give truth a chance in these hectic times," Schmid said, adding that he himself had no intention to step down.
"Assurances I was given by colleagues in cabinet and many parliamentarians show me that I have not lost the political capability to act," he said.
Source:Xinhua
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