Business is not going so well for Lars Windhorst, and now things are getting trickier for him in court: According to several media reports, the insolvency court in Hanover has issued an arrest warrant against the former investor of Hertha BSC. This was due to his insolvent subsidiary, Projekt Ihme-Zentrum Hannover GmbH. On April 22, there was an insolvency application procedure, for which the 47-year-old did not appear. As the Hanover General Newspaper reported, he had not fulfilled his duty to cooperate in the opinion of insolvency administrator Jens Wilhelm and the court. Windhorst has lodged an appeal against the arrest warrant.
Windhorst, who was celebrated as a successful young entrepreneur in the 1990s, joined the Ihme Center as an investor in 2019 and took over large parts of it, giving tenants hope that the residential and commercial complex would be revitalized. But to date, almost nothing has happened there. Hundreds of residential and commercial owners have to bear the ancillary and operating costs for the vacant commercial space because of the insolvency. This is not the first arrest warrant issued against Windhorst. He also faces prison in the Netherlands for irregularities at a show jumping company.
In Schleswig-Holstein, the latest developments are being followed with great interest, as Windhorst had planned a press conference in Flensburg for Wednesday: In 2019, he joined the FSG-Nobiskrug shipyards in Flensburg and Rendsburg, promising new orders and the preservation of around 600 jobs. But people there are also waiting for results. Wage payments have also been delayed time and again. Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) criticized the owner during a visit to the Nobiskrug shipyard on Monday, according to the NDR. None of the promises that Windhorst made in March of this year have been kept to date. “It is time for Mr. Windhorst to act,” said Günther.