Valentin Landmann (born June 7th, 1950, in St. Gallen) is a Swiss criminal defense lawyer, author, media personality and former politician.
[7] Apart from his role as a criminal defense lawyer, Valentin Landmann has also served as a regional politician (member of the Zurich Cantonal Parliament for the Swiss People's Party) and as a lecturer at the University of Lucerne.
He criticizes what he perceives as a loss of Swiss neutrality due to the country's involvement in economic sanctions against Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
[13] Landmann initially worked as a lawyer for Zürich firm Wenger und Vieli dealing with business and economic law.
[7] In 2012, Landmann represented right-wing politician and attorney Hermann Lei who had leaked data to the media belonging to then Swiss National Bank Chairman Philipp Hildebrand, leading to the latter's eventual resignation.
[14] In 2012, a journalist from the newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, noted that Landmann's "high level of popularity is the result of years of media presence and a penchant for self-promotion".
[18] During a September 2020 Zurich cantonal council session, Landmann sparked controversy with a comment directed at Green Liberal Party councilor Andrea Gisler, who had questioned the feasibility of COVID-safe practices in the sex industry.
Landmann humorously offered to explain to her in detail how protective equipment could be incorporated into sexual practices, stating, “There’s more to it than lying on top of each other and rubbing heads.” The remark drew mixed reactions, with some finding it amusing and others, including Gisler, deeming it inappropriate.