A Stockholm court on Friday ordered that US rapper ASAP Rocky, detained in Sweden on assault allegations, should be kept in custody for another week while the prosecutor completes his investigation.
“The deadline to press charges has been extended to Thursday, July 25 at 11 am (0900 GMT). The suspect will until then remain in detention,” the district court said in a statement.
The 30-year-old artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested on July 3 shortly after midnight after a street fight on June 30.
On July 5 the Stockholm District Court ordered that Mayers should be kept in custody while the case was being investigated, as he was considered a “flight risk”.
READ ALSO: Janet Jackson, 50 Cent Perform In Saudi Concert After Nicki Minaj Pulled Out
The court had given the prosecutor until July 19 to decide on whether to press charges.
However, the prosecutor requested the deadline be extended to next week as they needed more time to complete the investigation, which the court granted.
Mayers’ lawyer Slobodan Jovicic called the court’s decision disproportionate.
He said that it was unreasonable to assume Mayers was a “flight risk” since not returning for a potential trial could mean that the rapper would never be able to visit Europe again, for fear of getting arrested.
“I am very disappointed, even though this was very much expected, given our regulations for detentions and that it’s very easy to detain someone,” said Jovicic.
AFP
