Man at centre of Nobel scandal charged with rape

Photographer Jean-Claude Arnault has been charged with two cases of rape by prosecutors in Stockholm.

Jean-Claude Arnault has been sentenced to two years' prison.

Jean-Claude Arnault has been sentenced to two years' prison. Source: AAP

A Swedish state prosecutor has brought two charges of rape against the man at the centre of a scandal that forced the Swedish Academy to cancel the award of the Nobel Prize for literature in 2018.

Prosecutor Christina Voigt said the evidence "is robust and sufficient for prosecution."

"My view is that the evidence is solid and sufficient for charges to be brought," Voigt said in a statement on Tuesday.

Arnault denies the allegations, as well as separate allegations that he was responsible for leaking the names of some prize-winners ahead of the official announcement.

"He maintains that he is completely innocent of the allegations," Bjorn Hurtig, Arnault's lawyer, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Prosecutors closed another preliminary investigation into a number of the abuse allegations against Arnault in March, citing insufficient evidence and because for some the statute of limitations had expired.

Several members of the Academy have resigned over how the institution, one of Sweden's most prestigious, handled its own investigation into the allegations against Arnault.

Arcane rules meant that they could not be replaced and in May the committee said it would not hand out the Nobel Prize for Literature this year as it needed time to restore public trust.


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