A 32-year-old man has been jailed for defamation of former Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU). The district court in Osnabrück sentenced the former entrepreneur to eight months in prison on Friday, a court spokesman said. In the event of defamation of a public figure, there is always a risk of imprisonment – and with a view to further allegations against the man, probation is out of the question, it was said about the sentence.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the accused described in another hearing an alleged meeting with the then Minister of Health in 2020. The former entrepreneur deliberately and untruthfully claimed that the Minister had indicated that he expected personal advantages from possible transactions with the Federal Ministry of Health. The court found that there was no personal meeting and no statement by the minister.
However, the chamber did not see any false suspicion. It cannot be determined with certainty that the accused’s statements were aimed at criminal investigations against the minister. The verdict is not final, it can be challenged with an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.
In addition, at the beginning of the corona pandemic in spring 2020, the accused is said to have offered the Federal Ministry of Health FFP protective masks for sale. He asked for an advance of 17 million euros for the delivery, but was never able to deliver. But the deal never materialized, and payments were never made.
The chamber separated this part of the procedure for attempted fraud in the procurement of corona protective masks and initially suspended it. Among other things, other witnesses from abroad would probably have to be heard. This means that these allegations may be negotiated later. (dpa)
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