Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven received on Friday 19 July a call from President Donald Trump requesting a release of an American music star, A$AP ROCKY, the stage name of Rakim Mayers.
Rakim Mayers and his bodyguards were detained on July 2 and held in pre-trial detention to allow police to finish investigating a fight in downtown Stockholm a few days before. In Rakim Mayers version of events, it was in self defence when he in a video is seen to violently throw another person on the ground. A video produced at the event by his party supports this version.
Watch video and make up your own mind: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=738552046559790
The American music stars connections have since lobbied hard for his release culminating with the presidential telephone call. President Donald Trump tweeted that he even offered Stefan Löfven to cover his bail – apparently unaware that the Swedish system does not provide for release on bail.
After the phonecall from the US President, Löfven’s press secretary Toni Eriksson said in a statement the two leaders had a “friendly” conversation and that the prime minister “made certain to emphasize the complete independence of the Swedish judicial system, prosecutors and courts,” according to AP.
“He underlined that in Sweden everyone is equal before the law and that the government cannot and will not attempt to influence the legal proceedings.”
Rakim Mayers detention was on 19 July extended by the authorities so that he could be held until Thursday July 25 for suspected assault.
Earlier, Suneson said police “have worked intensively” with the preliminary investigation but needed more time to complete their probe. Once the investigation is complete, the prosecution will decide whether to formally charge the rapper.
There is an excellent timeline of the whole incident here:
https://www.spin.com/2019/07/asap-rocky-sweden-assault-case/
The independence of the justice system in Sweden is one of the cornerstone shared social values in Sweden and runs deep comparable to a religious belief.
