Two and a half years after sexual assault, fraud and other allegations against a man running the Fotopub gallery in Ljubljana erupted into a major scandal, an indictment has been filed against the gallerist Dušan Smodej.

The scandal broke in August 2022 as several individuals posted testimonies on Instagram alleging to have been abused by Smodej or have witnessed abuse of or attempts to abuse young women at "artist" parties, and instances of him giving date-rape drugs to young women.

Smodej, who was 28 at the time and allegedly perpetrated the abuse himself or with other persons, was also alleged to have failed to pay people for the work they did for his Novo Mesto contemporary art association.

The scandal took on a political dimension as the opposition Democratic Party (SDS) questioned the state funding of cultural NGOs, including Smodej's, in parliament, and alleged Luka Mesec, the former leader of the Left who serves as the labour minister, had been spotted at one of the Fotopub exhibitions in the past. The scandal also sparked a public discussion about sexual violence and a rally in support of the victims.

Several media, including the newspapers Dnevnik and Večer, have now reported that the prosecutor in charge has brought charges against Smodej, while Slovenske Novice reported the gallerist has found himself in financial troubles, ending in bankruptcy.

During the investigation, police officers conducted over 80 interviews, talking to some people more than once, while others refused to cooperate, the papers reported. The investigators went over 5,000 online posts and cooperated with foreign law enforcement authorities.

After the investigation was completed, Smodej was charged with four counts of criminal acts: two sexual assaults, one count of drug consumption facilitation and one count of grievous bodily injury. The acts were perpetrated against two persons.

Smodej was also investigated on suspicion of two other sexual assaults and extortion, but the allegations could not be confirmed. A second suspect was investigated for two sexual assaults, of which one had become statute barred. The second suspect has not been indicted.

However, a third suspect has been indicted for damage to property, theft and threats, according to Martin Rupnik of the Ljubljana Police Department.

Soon after the scandal broke, Smodej denied all the allegations. Later he told the Slovenian Press Agency that he would not be commenting on the matter until the investigation was completed.

Meanwhile, media reports suggested that Smodej had focused on building his career abroad while he was being investigated at home.

He curated exhibitions in Paris and Milan and took part in the Sofia Porn Festival. He was also shortlisted for an Italian prize for best young critics but removed from the competition after the organisers received a petition against him signed by nearly 400 people.

Moreover, he was scheduled to speak at the Venice Forum for Contemporary Art Curators last year, but his appearance was cancelled.