Refusal of free official defence on appeal due to a minor case; non-entry for insufficient reasoning

Facts

Parties: The appellant ([A.] ) and the Public Prosecutor's Office Innerschwyz. The lower instance was the Cantonal Court of Schwyz, Vice-President (order of 9 December 2019, STK 2019 54).

Facts: On 26 June 2019 the District Court of Schwyz convicted the appellant of a serious breach of traffic rules and sentenced him to a suspended fine of 50 day-fines and a connected fine of CHF 750. He appealed and applied for free legal aid and appointment of counsel.

Decision of the lower instance: By order of 9 December 2019, the Cantonal Court of Schwyz dismissed the application for official defence in the appeal proceedings.

Appeal: By submission of 16 January 2020, the appellant challenged this order before the Federal Supreme Court. No responses were requested.

Issue in dispute: Whether the appellant is to be assigned a free official defence counsel in the appeal proceedings, in particular because of his precarious financial situation.

Considerations

The contested decision is a final cantonal decision in a criminal matter, so the appeal in criminal matters under Art. 78 ff. FSCA is available. However, the appellant must show that the admissibility requirements are met (Art. 42 para. 2 FSCA) and that the contested decision violates federal law.

The appellant does not engage with the reasoning of the contested decision. He merely argues that his precarious financial situation requires the assignment of a free defence counsel. This reasoning does not satisfy the statutory requirements for an appeal, so the appeal is not to be entered…