Due to allegations of fraud, the mayor of Langenzenn in Middle Franconia has to answer in court at the beginning of May. The District Court of Fürth announced on Thursday that the main hearing was scheduled for May 4th. The public prosecutor’s office accuses the local politician Jürgen Habel of having housed two Ukrainian refugee families and of having claimed housing costs from the Fürth district office, some of which were unlawful. Damage in the mid four-digit range is said to have occurred.
Habel had lodged an objection to the penalty order, which is why the trial is now taking place. The politician could not be reached for comment on Thursday because, according to a city spokesman, he is currently not on duty.
According to its own statements, the district court ordered the defendant to appear in person for the main hearing and summoned six witnesses. According to the CSU district association in Fürth-Land, Habel has not been a party member since March 1 – because an “increasing process of alienation with the local CSU” has started, as it was said.
Habel has not paid any mandate holder contributions to the Langenzenner CSU since 2020 and caused damage of more than 10,000 euros, said the CSU local association chairman and second mayor of Langenzenn, Christian Ell. Accordingly, he had to pay 4.5 percent of his monthly basic salary to the local association. The Nuremberg News/Nuremberg Newspaper had previously reported about it.
According to the party statutes, Habel’s CSU membership expired on March 1, as Ell explained. This has nothing to do with the suspicion of fraud against Habel. “It was a coincidence that it was made public at the same time.”