A$AP Rocky Released by Swedish Court Pending Verdict After Trial
(Bloomberg) -- A Swedish court released A$AP Rocky as it deliberates on the verdict in a trial alleging the U.S. rapper assaulted a man in Stockholm, a decision that could ease tension between Sweden and U.S. President Donald Trump who has been arguing for his release.
After a three-day trial, the Stockholm District Court on Friday said A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, should be released from the Stockholm jail where he has been held since July 2. The verdict will be announced on Aug. 14. the court said in a statement.
The rapper was detained for his role in a street fight the night of June 30 and was charged with assault along with two associates. In police interrogations and at the trial, A$AP Rocky admitted kicking and punching a 19-year-old man who followed his entourage on the streets of Stockholm, but claimed self-defense. The two associates were also released by the court.
The prosecutor, Daniel Suneson, in his closing statement on Friday argued that Rocky should be given a six-month prison sentence and also kept in custody pending a verdict, according to Dagens Nyheter.
“The fact that they are released from detention means that the District Court has assessed that there are no longer grounds for detention," Suneson said in a statement. "I do not want to speculate on whether they will be convicted or acquitted."
The rapper's situation has become a cause celebre among Hollywood elite and prompted Trump to try to intervene. After tweeting his support for A$AP Rocky and offering Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to “personally vouch” for the rapper, the U.S. president later lambasted Sweden's government for not forcing prosecutors to free A$AP Rocky.
Trump also dispatched his special envoy on hostages, Robert C. O'Brien, to oversee the proceedings.
Sweden doesn't have a bail system. The constitution also bars politicians from interfering in legal cases since the judiciary is completely independent.
Following the court's decision, Trump tweeted: “A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!”
To contact the reporters on this story: Niklas Magnusson in Stockholm at nmagnusson1@bloomberg.net;Niclas Rolander in Stockholm at nrolander@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net, ;Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Niklas Magnusson
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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