- The Swiss influencer Raffaela Zollo filed a complaint against a person who wrote to her on Instagram: “Go hang yourself, you trans*****.”
- The public prosecutor’s office is now demanding a security deposit of 800 francs so that the case can be pursued further.
- Zollo sharply criticizes the system: Victims without financial resources have no access to justice.
The Swiss Influencer Raffaela Zolloknown on social media as “Raffa’s Plastic Life,” contacted her followers with a serious concern. Around a month and a half ago, the 33-year-old filed a police report against a person who had insulted her with an Instagram message. According to Zollo, the content of the message was: “Go hang yourself, you trans*****.”
Zollo previously assumed that the case would be pursued normally by the authorities. But now she received mail that caused her a lack of understanding. “Yesterday I received a letter from the Swiss public prosecutor,” she explains in her video. She was asked to pay “800 francs as security” if she wanted the case to be pursued and processed at all.
Raffaela Zollo knows the identity of the perpetrator
The influencer finds the situation particularly absurd because the perpetrator is apparently easy to identify. The person was “smart enough” to enter his surname, first name and his football team, i.e. a location, directly in the Instagram profile. Despite this clear evidence, Zollo now faces a high financial hurdle.
In her video, Zollo expresses her frustration with the system. She questions the logic behind the fee: “What kind of system is this that, as a victim, I first have to file a report and secondly have to pay money so that the police can do their job?” She argues that the police and judiciary are already funded by taxpayers’ money.
Do you have to pay an advance in the Swiss legal system?
Yes, in the Swiss legal system costs must be borne in the vast majority of legal proceedings. Basically the principle applies: Whoever loses pays. There are differences depending on the procedure.
Civil proceedings: Anyone who files a lawsuit usually has to pay an advance on court costs. If the requested advance is not paid within the set deadline, the lawsuit will not be pursued further. The losing party bears the court costs and must pay the prevailing party compensation for their legal fees.
criminal proceedings: If an accused person is convicted, he or she must bear the legal costs and often the legal fees of the victim representative. If the case is acquitted or the case is dropped, the canton bears the costs and the person is often entitled to compensation.
What to do when you have little money? If you cannot afford the lawsuit but have a chance of success, the court can provide free legal representation and exempt you from paying advance payments. Since January 1, 2025, the following applies: If you win a lawsuit, you get the advance back.
Criticism of the justice system: “Security only if you have money”
Her concern is not only with her own case, but with fundamental justice. She wonders what happens if a victim does not have the necessary financial resources: “What if I or another victim do not have the necessary money? Then the law doesn’t count for these people?”
“Apparently you can only feel safe here in Switzerland if you have money.”
Her bitter conclusion from the incident is: “Apparently you can only feel safe here in Switzerland if you have money.” In her opinion, as a perpetrator you can do almost anything as long as the victim is not in the financial position to pay for the procedure.
Should crime victims have to pay to pursue the case?
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Ammar Jusufi (amj), born in 2001, has been working for 20 minutes since November 2024. After his internship in the Eastern Switzerland department, he is now an editor in the People department.
