A$AP Rocky will have to wait a bit longer for his day in court.
Swedish authorities on Friday accepted a prosecutor’s request to extend the pre-trial period until July 25 to give more time to carry out an investigation into the events of June 30, in Stockholm, Sweden which have landed A$AP in custody on allegations of assault.
Slobodan Jovicic, the Swedish defense lawyer representing the American rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, said he was “very disappointed” with the court’s decision to keep Rocky in custody until the trial.
“We have worked intensively with the investigation and now need until Thursday next week in order for the preliminary investigation to be completed,” Daniel Suneson, who is heading the preliminary investigation, said in a press release. “While the investigation is in progress, I cannot give any further comments.”
Rocky’s defense lawyer did not initially comment on the prosecutor’s request but said he would hold a press conference in Sweden later Friday.
Rocky was detained in Sweden on July 2 on suspicion of assault after a video emerged from June 30 apparently showing the rapper in central Stockholm tossing another man through the air and onto the street. Rocky, citing video footage he took during the evening, has proclaimed his innocence and said the altercation resulted after fans had been following and confronting him and his entourage for several hours. Rocky’s two alleged attackers have also been detained for molestation and assault. The extension of the prosecutors’ investigation also applies to them.
The case has been picked up by Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who have lobbied President Trump to help get Rocky released. Kardashian, who met with the president about prison reform earlier this year, reportedly spoke to Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner to lobby the president.
In an official statement, the U.S. State Department said there were “some facts about the arrest and detention that raise concerns. We expect all governments, including Sweden, to treat American citizens fairly and with respect. We hope to see A$AP Rocky and his colleagues back on tour and reunited with friends and family soon.”
Rocky’s manager, John Ehmann, claimed on social media that the rapper his being held in “inhumane conditions” at the Kronoberg Detention Center near Stockholm but Henrik Olsson Lilja, Rocky’s Swedish lawyer, denied this, as did the governor of the facility. Rocky hired a new lawyer, Slobodan Jovicic, on July 13.
Rocky’s arrest and detention has led to the cancellation of the artist’s European tour and Ehmann has said production on A$AP Rocky’s new album might also be delayed, as he was scheduled for studio time directly after the tour was set to wrap on July 21.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
