He received a four year prison sentence last March, with two years suspended. The main obligation was the compensation for the victim, a woman the accused had exploited between July 2015 and February 2017, extorting more than half a million euros.
On Wednesday, the accused and his lawyer repeatedly pointed out that no conviction had been pronounced in this case.
The accused responded to virtually all questions posed by the tribunal president by claiming that he had not been charged. He also refused to comment on the merits of the case, while pointing out that two witnesses had not been named.
From the beginning of the session, the accused's lawyer, Mr Roby Schons, pointed out procedural inconsistencies that brought his client to trial. His client would not have been convicted or charged for abuse of weakness before he spoke or read his rights. In addition, Schons requested that a preliminary question be put to the Constitutional Court. The tribunal president said this request would be dealt with at the verdict.
A representative from the public prosecutor's office pointed out that no appeal was lodged within five days, a point that weakened the defendant and lawyer's arguments. The accused then wanted to know if abuse of weakness was the only complaint, to which the president replied that the first judgement could be confirmed. The defendant again said that he would not speak on the merits of the case.
Mr Marc Lentz, the lawyer acting on behalf of the victim, asked for the confirmation of the verdict in first instance, which the representative of the public prosecutor's office also requested.
The verdict for the appeal will be pronounced on 27 November.
