Munich/Regensburg (dpa/lby) - In connection with the Regensburg corruption scandal, public prosecutors and defense attorneys have demanded a suspended sentence and a fine for a building contractor for violating the party law and granting benefits. The background is, among other things, donations in the 2014 local election campaign to the SPD local association of the then mayor candidate Joachim Wolbergs. The former managing director of the building contractor is also accused. The prosecutor also demanded a suspended sentence and a fine for him.
In the appeal proceedings before the Munich I Regional Court, the public prosecutor's office pleaded for a suspended sentence of one year and nine months and a fine of 1.5 million euros for the accused Volker Tretzel. The 80-year-old's defender considered a year and five months probation and 1.2 million euros to be appropriate. Judgments are expected in the afternoon.
Both sides referred to the defendant's confession that he had hoped for a "certain goodwill" from the future mayor in view of his donations. He had the donations transferred in pieces by employees and then reimbursed them, so that he and his company did not appear in public as donors. Among other things, the long duration of the proceedings and massive errors on the part of the investigators - such as listening to the most private communications - must be taken into account, according to the defense attorney.
In November 2021, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Leipzig overturned parts of the initial judgments of the Regensburg Regional Court from 2019 and referred them to an economic criminal chamber of the Munich I Regional Court for trial.
In 2019, Wolbergs was found guilty in two cases of taking advantage and was acquitted of further allegations. The BGH also reversed this judgment in part and found it too lenient. It is also to be renegotiated before the Munich I Regional Court. A date for this has not yet been set.
