As mayor, Jürgen Habel enjoyed an impeccable reputation in Langenzenn for many years. The Kulturhof, the fire station, the adventure playground – all projects that he helped to set in motion. In 2008, the 43-year-old was elected mayor of the small town in the district of Fürth for the first time, followed by two solid election victories, each for the CSU. This Thursday, however, Habel has to answer to the Fürth district court. He is said to have cheated. According to the indictment, the damage amounts to 3465.60 euros, which would be manageable. The prosecutor’s accusation can still be considered libelous, especially for a mayor: Habel is said to have collected too much money from renting private living space to Ukrainian refugees. Did someone take advantage of an emergency situation in order to be able to skim?
Habel – jeans, jacket, sports shoes – enters the courtroom like a mayor enters halls: he turns in the direction of the cameras. The public prosecutor read out the indictment, she sees it this way: In March 2022, two Ukrainian families applied to the district office for something that the authorities call “benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act”. Both – a woman with two children and a mother with her adult daughter – found space in the basement of Habel’s apartment, fully furnished living space. For one family, 65 square meters of space were provided, for the other 45, and the responsible authority paid the renting mayor a total of 3,465.60 euros for two and a half months. The prosecutor accuses Habel of not having this total living space of 110 square meters between March and May 2022. Rather, the families would have had to share the area at that time. Habel thus presented false facts, criminally: fraud in two cases.
The mayor speaks in a halting voice, admitting “mistakes” that he regrets. Shortly after the start of the Ukraine war, he simply wanted to help, but there was still no talk of rental income. Immediately after the families had moved in, he was seriously ill, his partner announced that she wanted to move out with their child, he had been hit to the core. Then the two related families from the Ukraine would have wanted two different rental contracts, which he quickly put together. Errors happened, later also, with certain information. “But you’re a lawyer,” says the judge. If you write numbers in a contract, you have to “think something about it.”
It’s not the only malaise Habel is confronted with. He has not been a member of the CSU – the party with which he celebrated his three election victories – since March 2023. The party accuses him of not having paid any membership fees since 2020. The local CSU boss Christian Ell says on the phone that there has been an “alienation”. Of course, Habel was warned to please transfer the money properly. However, since he has not done so continuously, the relationship between the CSU and the mayor has officially ended for three months. The criminal proceedings against Habel? Of course, many believed that was the reason why the mayor is only “ex-CSU”. But that’s not true, Ell insists, the first reminders to him came from a completely different time. A low five-digit sum is said to have accumulated in unpaid amounts, the CSU still wants the money.
Nevertheless, says the CSU local head, Habel is a man with visions, has done a lot for the city and has always shown a heart for refugees. Two Ukrainian witnesses confirm this in the courtroom: Habel is very grateful. How does it all fit together? Many in Langenzenn are puzzled, says Ell. Especially since the municipality – under Habel’s leadership – is in trouble. Legal supervision is currently examining why there are apparently no valid leases for a number of apartments that the city has made available for refugees.
However, this story plays no role in court, it’s all about the private rental of Habels. The prosecutor considers his statement to be a protective claim and is demanding a fine. Habel’s defense attorney speaks of a “running the gauntlet” for his client and calls for leniency. The judge finds Habel guilty of double fraud, he is fined 40 daily rates. He “doesn’t lose” Habel for having made mistakes because of an exceptional situation. The mayor cheated. The judgment is not final.