The Thuringia State Criminal Police Office and the Erfurt public prosecutor’s office searched the living and business premises of CDU state chief Mario Voigt. Senior public prosecutor Hannes Grünseisen told MDR THÜRINGEN that Voigt was accused of corruption in commercial transactions. Evidence was seized during the searches.
According to MDR information, Voigt’s house in Jena, his parents’ house in the Saale-Holzland district and a service apartment in Erfurt were searched. The business premises are his study in Jena.
Corruption proceedings initiated ex officio
According to MDR information, Voigt is said to have placed an order with an Internet agency, which is said to have paid him a consulting fee of 17,000 euros. From this, the public prosecutor apparently derives the accusation of bribery.
Voigt protests innocence – lawyer criticizes the public prosecutor’s office
Voigt said about the searches: “What I said from day one applies to me: I was not guilty of anything.” The politician’s lawyer described the suspected thesis as “incomprehensible” because there was no solid basis for it. The action of the public prosecutor’s office was also disproportionate and excessive. In addition, there is obviously a high need for the authorities to publish the procedure. “Up until now, my client has been extremely cooperative and has always been proactive and transparent,” the lawyer continued.
Voigt’s immunity already lifted
Voigt is the designated top candidate of the Thuringian CDU for the 2024 state election campaign. In addition to his state parliament mandate, the 45-year-old works as a professor at a university in Berlin and has a consulting firm for digital communication in Jena.