A$AP Rocky: Trump offers to ‘vouch for bail’ of US rapper jailed in Sweden
Written by News on 21/07/2019
Donald Trump said he has spoken to Sweden’s prime minister about A$AP Rocky’s custody battle and “offered to personally vouch for his bail”.
The US rapper is being held in the Scandinavian nation following an alleged fight in Stockholm.
He has received an unlikely boost in his bid for freedom after Mr Trump said Kanye West had brought him up to speed on the situation.
In a tweet, the US president said he had a “very good call” with Stefan Lovfen, who assured him that the jailed rapper will be “treated fairly”.
He added: “Likewise, I assured him that A$AP was not a flight risk and offered to personally vouch for his bail, or an alternative….”
Kanye, and his wife Kim Kardashian West, are among the US stars who have expressed their support for the platinum-selling artist, and they have even lobbied Mr Trump as part of their efforts.
After speaking with Mr Lofven on Saturday, Mr Trump wrote: “Our teams will be talking further, and we agreed to speak again in the next 48 hours!”
A$AP Rocky – real name Rakim Mayers – was arrested on suspicion of assault in Stockholm earlier this month, which caused him to miss his headline performance at Wireless Festival in north London.
The 30-year-old was in the Swedish capital for another gig at the time of the alleged incident on 30 June, which his lawyer has said was “a self-defence situation”.
The Swedish leader said he was happy to speak to Mr Trump but he “cannot and will not attempt to influence prosecutors or courts”.
He added he was aware Mr Trump “has a personal interest in the case”.
Mr Lofven called the US leader’s desire for a conversation “certainly positive”, and said: “I will explain that the Swedish judicial system is independent.
“In Sweden, everyone is equal before the law, and this includes visitors from other countries.”
Earlier, Justin Bieber, who has supported the campaign to release Mayers, sent a scathing message to Mr Trump, referring to the current US border policy which sees Central American migrant families split up and children kept separately from their parents.
The Canadian singer tweeted: “I want my friend out.. I appreciate you trying to help him. But while your [sic] at it @realDonaldTrump can you also let those kids out of cages?”
Writing on Twitter earlier, Kardashian West had thanked the president and senior members of his administration, saying that their “commitment to justice reform is so appreciated”.
Fans of the rapper have also started a #JusticeForRocky movement on the social media site, and a petition calling for his release has garnered more than half a million signatures.
Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat in the House of Representatives, is also pushing for the Harlem-born star to be set free – saying his continued detention was “not a fair process”.
He added: “Everyone deserves to be treated equally and A$AP Rocky’s rights continue to be violated.”
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But the campaigning has so far fallen on deaf ears, with top Swedish prosecutor Petra Lundh offering no indication that he would be released as a result of the calls from America.
She said: “The fact that a suspect or a plaintiff is known is no reason for the person to receive a special treatment.”
Mayers and his bodyguards were detained on 3 July, with videos published on social media showing a person being violently thrown on to the ground by a man – allegedly Mayers.
Two days after their detention they were ordered to be held for two weeks, but a court has now ruled that police can have another week to work on their investigation.
Once the probe is complete, prosecutors will decide whether to formally charge Mayers, whose lawyer Slobodan Jovicic said was enduring “a very bad experience”.
Mayers has posted two videos about the incident on his Instagram account, saying two men had been following him and his team through the city.
(c) Sky News 2019: A$AP Rocky: Trump offers to ‘vouch for bail’ of US rapper jailed in Sweden
