Jean-Claude Arnault, who was convicted of rape in a sex scandal that rocked the body that awards the Nobel Literature Prize is appealing his sentence in a trial set to begin in Stockholm on Monday.
Arnault is appealing a two-year prison term.
The Stockholm district court convicted him in October on one of the two counts of rape he was charged with.
Both involved the same woman and stem from late 2011.
He denies the charges.
Arnault is married to Katarina Frostenson, a member of the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Literature Prize.
French-born Arnault, a high-profile figure in Stockholm’s culture scene, formerly ran a performance venue partly funded by the Swedish Academy.
Funding ceased after the Dagens Nyheter daily published allegations of sexual misconduct against him made by 18 women, and the academy commissioned a law firm to investigate the allegations.
Prosecutor Christina Voigt subsequently opened a probe, but dropped several charges against Arnault, partly due to insufficient evidence or the statute of limitations.
The hearing at the Svea Court of Appeals in the Swedish capital is expected to run until Wednesday.
The sex scandal and alleged breaches of conflict-of-interest rules contributed to a deep rift in the academy.
In May, the academy said that it would not award the Nobel Literature Prize this year, citing the need to regroup and restore trust. (dpa/NAN)
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