The Swiss supreme court upheld a lower court’s quashing of the criminal conviction of Sheik Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, 38, according to a copy of the ruling seen Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Al Nayan, brother of the UAE ruler, was convicted in July for hitting Silvano Orsi, 40, of Rochester, New York, with a belt after the American declined a bottle of champagne the sheik offered him in a luxury Geneva hotel bar in 2003. Al Nayan was fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($9,820).

But in March a Geneva appeals court quashed the conviction of inflicting bodily harm with a dangerous object on the ground that the belt wasn’t dangerous.

Orsi appealed to the Federal Tribunal to reinstate the conviction.

In rejecting the appeal on procedural grounds, the Federal Tribunal ordered Orsi to pay 2,000 Swiss francs ($1,834) in court costs. The high court’s ruling, dated May 26, held that as a civil party Orsi didn’t have the legal standing to contest the acquittal.

Orsi claims that after refusing the champagne, the sheik, whom he had never met, came up behind him, jostled his glasses, sat on his lap and tried to kiss and fondle him. When Orsi protested, the assault began, he says.

The sheik told investigators that he got into a heated argument with Orsi after he overheard someone call him gay. Al Nahyan acknowledged that he pulled his belt from his trousers but denied striking Orsi.

Geneva’s chief prosecutor, Daniel Zappelli, has said Orsi’s injuries and post-traumatic shock from the beating in August 2003 left him incapable of working.

The defendant is a brother of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was appointed president of the United Arab Emirates in 2004 after the death of their father, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Mauch was elected to city council only last month and was considered by many to be a long shot when she announced her candidacy to succeed outgoing mayor Elmer Ledergerber.

Both are members of the center-left Social Democrats.

The 49-year-old Mauch received nearly 42,000 votes, about 11,000 more than her only rival, Kathrin Martelli of the center-right Radicals.

Throughout the campaign, Martelli attempted to use Mauch’s sexuality against her.

The office of mayor in Zurich is largely ceremonial, but the fact that voters gave Mauch such an overwhelming victory is seen as a significant advancement.

The timing is also significant.

Mauch will take over at the end of April, just days before gays from through the continent arrive in Zurich for this year’s EuroPride.

EuroPride is held in a different city each year.  Mauch will deliver the opening speech just before marchers begin their parade on June 2. EuroPride runs until May 7.

Paris and Berlin already have openly gay mayors.