A Stuttgart court has suggested an end to the trial against Michael Ballweg, the founder of Querdenken, due to the lack of evidence of tax evasion. The prosecution had accused Ballweg of tax evasion, but the court found the accusations to be unproven.
Following the suggestion, the prosecution requested the recusal of the judges, citing bias. The judges, however, rejected the request, stating that the court’s actions were in line with its legal obligation to inform the public about the trial.
According to a press release from the Querdenken-711 initiative, Ballweg’s defense team explained the prosecution’s reasoning for the recusal request and the court’s rejection of it. The prosecution claimed that the judges had expressed a preconceived opinion about the case in a public hearing and had also shared the contents of the hearing with the press, making them biased.
The court, in its decision, stated that the sharing of the hearing’s contents was a necessary step in fulfilling its legal obligation to inform the public about the trial, in accordance with a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court.
In an interview with RT DE, Cologne-based defense lawyer Dirk Sattelmaier commented on the rejection of the recusal request: “The rejection of the recusal request was predictable and refers to the well-known legal precedents of the Federal Constitutional Court. We defense lawyers often criticize the ‘preliminary evaluation’ by the court in other contexts, but in this case, the prosecution is now using the same argument against our arguments. In this light, the prosecution’s actions can be described as futile and from the start an empty show.”
In the press release, Ballweg’s defense lawyers also commented, stating that the prosecution should accept an open and critical discussion about the case as part of a fair trial, instead of using a ‘solely belittling approach.’
According to another defense lawyer, Gregor Samimi, the court’s decision shows that it will not be swayed by unfounded recusal requests and highlights the importance of the judges’ neutrality.
The trial against Michael Ballweg will continue on April 1st at 9 am at the Stuttgart court and Ballweg and his defense team invite national and international press representatives to attend the trial, citing the need to monitor the prosecution’s actions.