The French photographer at the centre of allegations of sexual assault, which contributed to the postponement of this year’s Nobel prize in literature, has been charged with two cases of rape by prosecutors in Stockholm.

Jean-Claude Arnault, who is married to a member of the body that awards the prize, faces up to six years in prison if found guilty.

“I think the supporting evidence is robust and strong enough to indict him,” prosecutor Christina Voigt said on Tuesday.

The plaintiff accuses Arnault, who ran Forum, a literary venue in Stockholm, of raping her in October 2011 and again in December 2011.

“In one of the suspected rapes there was violence,” Voigt said. “And in the other she was asleep.”

To support the prosecution, police have over the past six months held interviews with the alleged victim, with several witnesses, and with Arnault himself. Arnault denies the allegations.