The search for a rogue academic wanted in connection with a major fraud has moved to his native Switzerland.

Erich Kofmel, 34, is suspected of scamming thousands of pounds while living a jet set lifestyle as an academic based at the University of Sussex, in Falmer, Brighton.

Sussex Police has begun liaising with counterparts in Switzerland, where Kofmel has been tracked to an address in Bern.

The alleged fraudster is also wanted in Germany and is being investigated in several other countries where people have reported themselves as victims.

PC Nigel Tillings, of Sussex Police, verified this picture of Kofmel publicised by a support group at website erichkofmelinfo.googlepages.

com. Kofmel has been accused of taking deposits for phoney vacations into false bank accounts while he was based in Sussex before cancelling the trips and pocketing the cash.

At the same time he was flying around the world giving lectures on behalf of the Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society (SCIS), a controversial intellectual “school” he set up in his student house in Tenant Lain.

Kofmel was arrested by Sussex Police in July but then failed to answer bail in September.

The University of Sussex said it had never recognised the SCIS but did not want to comment further.

The Argus has received no response from its attempts to contact Kofmel.