DFB process in Frankfurt: Turning in the summer fairy tale process: Court for attitude

After a surprising turn, the summer fairy tale process against Theo Zwanziger is faced with the complete rehabilitation before the end and the ex-DFB boss. The Frankfurt Regional Court proposed the employment of the proceedings against twenties on suspicion of severe tax evasion and relieved the 79-year-old in a legal discussion of the accusation.

“With Theo Zwanziger, the right one is not on the dock,” said presiding judge Eva-Marie Distler on the 25th day of the trial. There is still “no acquittal, since central accounting and tax criminal issues are still unclear”. “However, a subordinate guilt by Theo Zwanziger appears to be so low that the continuation of the criminal act no longer seems appropriate,” said the presiding judge.

In her opinion, legal peace in the procedure that has been pending since 2015 can only be achieved quickly and effectively through a quick procedural setting. After more than ten years, it is time to close the files and to leave the summer fairy tale in memory as one. ”

Twenties sees himself confirmed

Twenties, who had always rejected the allegations strictly, thanked the judge for the clear words. “I would like to acknowledge that the chamber has been thoroughly and intensively dealt with how things can have expired,” said the former DFB president.

According to the court, the proceedings should be terminated against a minor monetary requirement of 5,000 euros for a non -profit purpose. Zwanziger’s lawyer Hans-Jörg Metz and the public prosecutor Frankfurt announced that he wanted to comment on the proposal at the next trial on April 3.. The procedure against the German Football Association is also to be stopped.

Court is from Zwanziger’s innocence

According to the court, twenties “did not actively participate in the covering” of a DFB payment of 6.7 million euros in April 2005 to the FIFA World Federation Association. He did not make a superordinate contribution in this matter. The booking as an operating edition by the DFB was permitted according to the current state of knowledge.

After appreciation of the previous evidence, the transfer at the time was the repayment of a loan of ten million Swiss francs, which Franz Beckenbauer received from the French entrepreneur Robert Louis-Dreyfus in 2002.

The money was forwarded to Katar in five tranches to a company account of the FIFA Executive member, Mohamed bin Hammam. In return, FIFA’s World Cup OK received a grant of CHF 250 million for the organization of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. “According to the preliminary assessment, this is a bribe payment,” said Distler.

According to the court, twenties may not have been integrated into the booking processes. The conception of the covering should also not go back to him. Twenties have never been enriched and therefore did not act out of self -benefit.

Rather, the then FIFA boss Joseph S. Blatter was not happy that twenties had been inaugurated afterwards “because he was not considered a corrupt conferant in the inner leadership circle of FIFA”.