The police searched seven properties in and around Aschaffenburg and in neighboring Hesse on suspicion of bribery and corruptibility of elected officials. “It’s about securing evidence,” said a spokesman for the Munich public prosecutor’s office on Tuesday. Suspicious are four people who are being investigated in connection with votes in the city council of Aschaffenburg in 2015 and 2019.
According to a message from Aschaffenburg’s Mayor Jürgen Herzing (SPD) to the city council members, the investigators’ initial suspicions are directed against a total of four suspects. Of these, however, only “one person from the city council”. From this it can be deduced that one person is suspected of taking a bribe and the others are suspected of bribery. The public prosecutor’s office therefore not only searched several objects in Aschaffenburg and the surrounding area, but also requested documents from the city council. The city is working “closely with the Attorney General’s Office,” said the OB.
According to information from the German Press Agency, the trail should lead to the Aschaffenburg City Council SPD. The Attorney General’s Office did not provide details of the sums in question. The investigations are still at the very beginning, and a preliminary result can no longer be expected before Christmas, a spokesman for the authorities said.
The city council of Aschaffenburg consists of the mayor and 44 city council members, twelve of whom belong to the SPD parliamentary group. The state SPD in Munich referred to those responsible on site. In the SZ interview, the chairman of the Aschaffenburg SPD city council group, Erich Henke, expressed his shock. The process made him “stunned”. He was “caught completely cold” by the investigation. When it comes to votes in the city council, there is usually a very large majority, and the body often even votes unanimously – also when it comes to building permits. In this respect, it is not clear to him, if the allegations should prove to be correct, who “could benefit” from a bribe.
A city councilor from another faction said something different in the SZ interview. In the years 2015 and 2019, for example, “larger construction projects” were debated in the Aschaffenburg city council. Intervening in advance at a suitable point in the approval process is quite possible.
Aschaffenburg’s Mayor Jürgen Herzing (SPD) said: “We were completely surprised by this situation, but of course we are working with the Attorney General’s Office to clarify everything. I would like to emphasize once again that the presumption of innocence applies to those involved, like everyone else , as long as the initial suspicion is not confirmed.”
There were no arrest warrants for the accused
In addition, it was initially unclear what the city council votes were about and who started the investigation. The spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office did not want to confirm or deny that it could be about processes related to construction projects. According to the information, there were no arrest warrants for the accused. “There is no evidence of a reason for detention such as a risk of absconding,” he said.
It was initially unknown what the police officers found during their searches. Among other things, they were looking for means of communication such as mobile phones. According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, paragraph 108e of the Criminal Code is an option: corruption and bribery of elected officials. Accordingly, such offenses can be punished with imprisonment of between one and ten years, and in less serious cases with imprisonment of between six months and five years.
In terms of criminal law, city councilors are regarded as “mandate holders”, as representatives of a local authority. If this comes under suspicion of bribery, the Attorney General’s Office is responsible for investigations.