Zurich Doctor Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Patients

Timeline of the Zurich and Austrian Investigations

According to an investigation by NZZ am Sonntag, authorities had the practitioner in their sights for six years before executing the arrest. The first criminal complaint was filed in Zurich in 2020 by a young patient who accused the doctor of photographing her naked and imposing sexual acts during a sedated colonoscopy. Police executed a search warrant in April 2020, seizing his phone and a spy camera designed for discrete video recording. Despite this early intervention, the doctor continued to practice. The Zurich Health Department learned of his identity in July 2022 and opened a procedure, requiring him to conduct patient consultations only in the presence of an assistant tasked with documenting his behavior, as officials stated the available evidence at the time did not meet the threshold for a total ban. It was not until May 2026 that Zurich authorities finally issued a complete prohibition on practicing, culminating in the July 2 arrest.

Modus Operandi and Allegations Against the Practitioner

Investigators state that the gastroenterologist subjected female patients—who sought help for digestive issues—to medical examinations that experts later concluded were medically unjustified, according to lematin.ch. Some appointments reportedly took place after clinic hours without other staff present, and certain examinations were conducted on a gynecological chair despite the doctor lacking qualifications in gynecology. The case gained significant traction when a patient noticed a mobile phone camera pointed toward the examination area. Subsequent searches by the Zurich Public Prosecutor’s Office uncovered numerous photos and videos of naked women, some recorded while under sedation, dating back to 2012. In NZZ am Sonntag, one patient recounted that when she questioned him about photographing her intimate parts, he cited medical reasons before showing her hundreds of naked photos of other women as trophies. Meanwhile, authorities in Graz, Austria, investigated a separate 2021 complaint where a patient found a hidden camera inside a tissue box, though that initial complaint was dismissed after three days due to insufficient suspicion, leaving Swiss and Austrian authorities initially disconnected.

Current Status and Ongoing Victim Identification

The practitioner contests all accusations, maintaining that the examinations were medically justified and that video recordings were made with patient consent, as reported by lematin.ch. He remains in preventive detention in Zurich under the presumption of innocence. Zurich police report seizing a large quantity of data and are actively asking potential victims to provide details such as tattoo photographs to match against the recovered digital material. In Austria, the number of identified potential victims has risen to a double-digit figure involving at least eight individuals, including a minor at the time of the events, as investigations continue across both countries.