STA, 6 August 2019 - Sergej Racman, an erstwhile successful businessman who is wanted in Slovenia under an Interpol Red Notice alert for his alleged role in a prostitution ring, has expressed willingness to make himself available for proceedings running against him, provided he is allowed to preserve his dignity.
"Racman is not on the run or avoiding criminal procedure to avoid his accountability in any way," his lawyer Nataša Pirc Musar said in a written statement on Tuesday.
She said that Racman did not report to law enforcement authorities because he had been living abroad since 2010. She said the European arrest warrant and the Interpol Red Notice were unnecessary.
Racman, the former owner of the cinema chain operator Kolosej, has been wanted since late July when the court ordered his detention as a prime suspect in a prostitution ring operating near Nova Gorica.
The ring, which allegedly abused more than 400 foreign girls for prostitution in the Marina Sauna Club near Nova Gorica since August 2014, was dismantled by the police in January.
In July the Koper district prosecution filed an indictment against 18 individuals and one legal entity charging them with prostitution, human trafficking and drug abuse.
Racman's lawyer said that the businessman "has never been involved in peddling prostitution and justifiably expects that he will be cleared of the charge in the judicial proceedings".
However, she said that, until the trial, Racman expected "the law enforcement authorities to respect his person and his dignity".
Alerting the media about the time and place of the handover or arrest would "undoubtedly lead to uncalled for humiliation and ridicule of the suspect", the lawyer said.
Racman "rejects obvious attempts by the law enforcement authorities to make a public spectacle out of his arrival in Slovenia", the lawyer said.
The lawyer said the law enforcement authorities have been notified of Racman's willingness to return to Slovenia and defend himself in a way that will allow him to keep his dignity.
All our stories on prostitution in Slovenia can be found here
