The 40-year-old victim, a marketing manager for a large bank, died on November 11th 2010 after being stabbed 30 times in his Lugano apartment.

Ticino prosecutor Moreno Capello told a Lugano court on Thursday he believed the murder was premeditated.

Maier, who declares himself to be bisexual, has told the court that the attack was a “crime of passion” brought on by a violent quarrel with his lover, the Corriere De Ticino newspaper reported on its website.

But Capello rejected the idea that the killing was a case of manslaughter, noting that Meier owed the victim 200,000 francs, which he had been entrusted to invest but squandered, the newspaper said.

Meier also faces charges of embezzlement, aggravated fraud and forgery.

The defence was to present its case on Friday with no date set for a verdict.