Public Prosecutor's Office Bielefeld: apparently new investigations against ex-manager Middelhoff

According to a report, the prosecutor's office is again investigating the ex-Arcandor manager Thomas Middelhoff. He is said to have postponed millions despite impending bankruptcy.

Public Prosecutor's Office Bielefeld: apparently new investigations against ex-manager Middelhoff

According to media reports, Public Prosecutor's Office Bielefeld has once again taken up investigations against former top managers Thomas Middelhoff. This is reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung and West German broadcasting, citing authority.

In November 2014, former Arcandor chief Middelhoff was sentenced to three years in prison by Landgericht Essen, among or things, for misappropriation of group assets. He came on free foot in November 2017. On 31 March 2015, according to report, he asked for a private bankruptcy proceedings.

It is undisputed that in years before private bankruptcy more and more of middelhoff assets flowed into companies that his lawyer pious control, wrote Süddeutsche. In return, se companies had regularly transferred money to Middelhoff so that he could finance his private life as well as his court and legal expenses.

Middelhoffs Insolvency administrator Thorsten Fuest sued his lawyer Hartmut Fromm and his Berlin law firm at Bielefeld District Court for payment of 5.1 million euros, SZ reported. The content of this action has also triggered equivalent investigation.

The complaint was refore based on an opinion of commercial law firm Taylor-Wessing, reported. On behalf of insolvency administrator, Middelhoffs has carried out financial transfers in years 2011 to 2015. The evaluators had come to conclusion that ex-manager had systematically transferred his private assets to third parties, and that under active help of Fromm. Perhaps Middelhoff was guilty of a bankruptcy offense and his friend of aid to it.

Middelhoff knows nothing of new procedure according to his own data

To WDR, Middelhoff said that he was not aware of a new procedure. The accusation of bankruptcy had already been finally examined and terminated by prosecutor's office in Bochum, and investigations of Public Prosecutor's Office Bielefeld would, in his opinion, lead to same result, reports WDR. The broadcaster quoted Middelhoff as saying: "Should I have committed an assessment or error of judgement despite legal advice – which I really cannot recognize – I will of course be my responsibility."

Date Of Update: 25 July 2018, 12:02