Former DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach can breathe a sigh of relief. The trial against him for inconsistencies surrounding the 2006 World Cup in his own country has been discontinued.
26.08.2024, 11:36
26.08.2024, 13:35
SDA
The proceedings have been suspended for the time being for one month in return for a fine of 25,000 euros. If Niersbach pays the sum to a charitable institution by September 9, the case against him will be closed for good. This was announced by the presiding judge at the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court, Eva-Marie Distler.
"This is not an acquittal. The suspicion still exists, even if the guilt is to be regarded as low," said Distler about the dismissal of the case against Niersbach on suspicion of tax evasion in a particularly serious case. She justified the decision by stating that Niersbach "is possibly the only one who was not explicitly involved in the events".
The public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt, which had considered imposing a fine of 58,000 euros, agreed to the dismissal. This decision was "pertinent and justified", said senior public prosecutor Jesco Kümmel at the hearing.
According to Distler, Niersbach had fallen the hardest as a result of the scandal. "It was a personal 'Waterloo' for him. He lost all his offices. The impact was significantly greater than for the other defendants," said the presiding judge. Before the summer break in the tax trial, she had already ordered the separation of the proceedings against former DFB General Secretary Horst R. Schmidt for health reasons.
In addition to Niersbach and Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger, another former DFB president, is also a defendant in the trial. The former top officials of the German Football Association (DFB) are alleged to have unlawfully declared a payment of 6.7 million euros made to FIFA in April 2005 as a business expense in their tax return for 2006, thereby reducing the tax for the World Cup year by around 13.7 million euros. All three defendants strictly deny the accusation.
