Prosecutors had asked for probation
According to the court, Czuppon has to pay 150 daily rates of 200 euros each. The amount of the daily rates depends on the income that the accused has or could have on average in one day.
According to the court spokesman, the public prosecutor’s office had demanded a prison sentence of one year and four months at the trial – suspended on probation. The defense had pleaded for acquittal. Pursuing innocent people is a criminal offense in Germany and can be punished with imprisonment for up to ten years.
Czuppon describes the verdict as a scandal
The 56-year-old Czuppon has been a member of the Thuringian state parliament for the AfD since 2019. The verdict is not yet legally binding. He has until July 21 to appeal. In the case of a final conviction, the police officer must also reckon with the consequences under official law.
Czuppon himself described the verdict as a scandal in a Facebook post on Friday. His confidence in the rule of law was badly shaken. “In a country where the Ministry of Justice is led by a Green non-lawyer, you had to reckon with that,” wrote the AfD politician.
At MDR THÜRINGEN, Czuppon announced that he would have his lawyers review the verdict. He was disappointed because the witnesses in court had not confirmed the allegations made against him.