Fraud procedure: Stack victory for Ballweg: Court wants to hire procedures

Surprising turn in the procedure against “transverse thinking” initiator Michael Ballweg: The criminal chamber suggests an attitude of the fraud process. The presiding judge in Stuttgart said after a previous conversation with those involved in the process, the presiding judge in Stuttgart said. Ballweg must be responsible for attempted fraud, and taxes are also said to have evaded according to the indictment. However, the chamber is currently of the opinion that the 50-year-old entrepreneur cannot be proven.

However, the public prosecutor rejects the court’s proposal. A conviction was still likely, the prosecutors said on the 27th day of the trial. The property and legal situation should not be assessed differently than the opening of the procedure, emphasized a spokeswoman for the indictment. More than 20 days of negotiations are still scheduled, and the taking of evidence is far from being concluded. This continues the process. Several witnesses should be interviewed on Monday.

Only a small remaining amount remains

According to the public prosecutor’s office, Ballweg is said to have raised more than one million euros from thousands of people for the organization, but who have deceived donors for the use of funds. The prosecutors accuse him of using 575,929.84 euros for private purposes. Versible expenses for the “transverse thinking” movement of 843,111.68 euros are documented. Ballweg is not charged because of fraud, but only because of attempted fraud, because some donors were indifferent to what happens to the money, according to the public prosecutor’s argument. The presumption of innocence applies until a final judgment.

According to the court, the accusation of attempted fraud is expected to be demonstrated after the previous evidence. At around 380,000 euros, for example, it is simply not detectable what happened with the money, said a court spokesman. Of the allegations of tax evasion, there may be only a small remaining amount that was between a few euros and around 2,000 euros in the range. In both offenses, the court sees it as a problem to prove the intent. According to the chamber, there is also little prospect that the still hardened can be found.

Court spokesman emphasizes elaborate procedures

With a view to the allegations of attempted and completed tax evasion, Fallweg tax documents would have had tax documents with his long -standing tax advisor, the court said. Since Ballweg did not give his tax advisor from confidentiality, it could not be clarified why the consultant did not submit these documents to the tax office. Ballweg sat in custody at the time, which further restricted communication, said a spokesman.

The proposal of the attitude is also about procedural economy, said the court spokesman. The process is associated with a lot of effort. From the court’s point of view, the effort is not in relation to the expected judgment.

Ballweg lawyer speaks of “huge success”

The court pulled the ground under his feet with his proposal, one of Ballweg said lawyers. From the defense’s point of view, this is a “huge success”. If the public prosecutor had approved the attitude, all those involved in the proceedings could have been resolved from the procedure. “The defendant has given great suffering.”

Ballweg himself was also happy about the court’s proposal. He and his followers again presented himself as legally persecuted. In Corona pandemic, there was also high numbers of arguments and freedom rights were restricted, in the end there was nothing left.

“Cross-thinking” initiator was in custody for months

Ballweg lawyers had repeatedly rejected the public prosecutor’s allegations. The “cross-thinking” initiator was in custody for months because of the allegations from June 2022 because the authorities assumed a risk of escape. His followers had repeatedly demonstrated in front of the prison. In April 2023 he was released from custody.

The “transverse thinking” movement had formed in many German cities in the course of Stuttgart’s corona pandemic. The supporters repeatedly demonstrated publicly against the political measures to contain the virus. There were also attacks on police officers and media representatives.