Swiss court acquits Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan in rape trail

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan was cleared by a Swiss court of all rape and sexual coercion accusations on Wednesday.

Ramadan was acquitted with the benefit of the doubt as the court could not prove evidence against the former Oxford University professor, local daily Le Temps reported.

The plaintiff's lawyers have already vowed to challenge the decision, according to the report.

In mid-May, the rape trial of Ramadan began in Geneva. He was charged with "rape and sexual coercion" for acts that allegedly took place in 2008. The case was brought by a Swiss woman.

Ramadan, 60, had denied all the charges, but did admit to having met the woman.​​​​​​​