Ex-UBS Executive Deceived by Girl and Pimp, Lawyer Says

Juerg Buergin, a former executive

director of operations at UBS AG (UBSN) in Singapore, was deceived by

an underaged prostitute and her pimp into believing she was 18,

according to his lawyer.

The girl, now 20, wasn’t a victim and should testify

publicly, Buergin’s lawyer Selva Naidu told a Singapore

subordinate court today on the first day of the Swiss national’s

trial. Judge Eddy Tham agreed with prosecutors that she give

evidence privately.

Buergin, 41, is the first of 51 men charged by police for

having paid sex with the girl to stand trial. At least 18 men,

including a member of the Shaw family that built an Asian movie

production and real estate empire, have been sentenced to jail

after admitting to paying for sex with a minor.

Buergin, married with two children, allegedly committed the

offenses at the Shangri-La Hotel in September 2010 and the

Mandarin Oriental Hotel in January 2011. The maximum penalty for

paid sex in Singapore with someone under 18 is a seven-year jail

term and an unspecified fine.

The criminal case is Public Prosecutor v Buergin Juerg.

DAC13762/2013. Singapore Subordinate Courts.

To contact the reporter on this story:

Andrea Tan in Singapore at

atan17@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:

Douglas Wong at

dwong19@bloomberg.net

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Former UBS AG Executive Director of Operations Juerg Buergin

Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

Former Executive Director of Operations at UBS AG in Singapore Juerg Buergin is the first of 51 men charged by police for having paid sex with the girl to stand trial.

Former Executive Director of Operations at UBS AG in Singapore Juerg Buergin is the first of 51 men charged by police for having paid sex with the girl to stand trial. Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

Ex-UBS Executive Deceived by Girl and Pimp, Lawyer Says