The raid on "Artemis" in April 2016 was one of the most spectacular in Berlin's red light district. But the allegations, such as tax evasion and human trafficking, later collapsed. The operators of the brothel are now successful with a lawsuit against the state of Berlin.
More than five and a half years after a spectacular raid on the "Artemis" brothel, the state of Berlin has to pay damages to the two operators. In an appeal process, the Court of Appeal awarded them 50,000 euros each plus interest.
The operators had accused the public prosecutor of having made prejudiced statements at a press conference on the occasion of the raid. They then sued the country. The district court dismissed the lawsuit, but the higher court, as the second instance, agreed with them.
The court justified its decision by saying that the operators had been violated by the statements made by the prosecution in their general personality rights. They are entitled to compensation for this breach of official duty.
The brothel was searched on April 14, 2016 by a large contingent of 900 police officers, customs officers and prosecutors. After that, the public prosecutor spoke of direct connections to organized rocker crime, the exploitation of prostitutes and the use of violence in "Artemis". Prosecutors suspected that members of the Hells Angels biker gang brought prostitutes to the brothel.
The operators were accused of having evaded 17.5 million euros in social security contributions. The Berlin chief public prosecutor at the time, Andreas Behm, even drew a comparison with the gangster Al Capone in Chicago in the 1920s. But later the public prosecutor's office dropped the investigations against the "Artemis" operators on suspicion of exploiting prostitutes, pimping and aiding and abetting human trafficking. Allegations of tax evasion, among other things, later collapsed.
The lawyers for the "Artemis" operators made serious allegations against the public prosecutor's office in 2016. Statements by the prosecutors "may constitute a criminal offense of defamation," they said. "One might think that there are also political goals behind the brutal action against Artemis."
