District Court of Leipzig
Lawsuit against Gil Ofarim: These are the possible scenarios
Gil Ofarim could have to answer in court
© Sven Kanz/Geisler-Fotopress/ / Picture Alliance
The regional court in Leipzig will decide in a few weeks whether the charges against Gil Ofarim will allow it. Should it come to trial, several scenarios are conceivable.
The regional court in Leipzig will decide in a few weeks whether it will allow the charges against the musician Gil Ofarim. A court spokeswoman said on Friday that a declaration period of several weeks was running, in which the artist and his lawyers could comment.
The Leipzig public prosecutor has accused Ofarim of defamation and false suspicion. The musician had made allegations of anti-Semitism against a Leipzig hotel in a viral video last October. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the incident did not happen as described. Ofarim did not want to comment on the allegations when asked.
Gil Ofarim: Defamation charge
There are several options for further proceedings: the competent chamber of the district court can approve the indictment in its entirety, it can approve it with changes, or it can not approve it. Another option is that the charges are admitted, but the proceedings are opened before the district court. The case would actually belong there in terms of the sentence. However, because of the special importance and public impact of the case, the public prosecutor’s office had decided to bring charges to the regional court. Something like that happens in individual cases, said the court spokeswoman.
If the indictment is allowed, the court must set dates for the hearing. It is therefore not yet possible to foresee when a trial could take place. Gil Ofarim is presumed innocent until convicted.