The Green Party’s leadership intends to file a criminal complaint against Stefan Gelbhaar, announced the party’s chief, Felix Banaszak, in Berlin on Monday.
The party had already announced on Saturday that it would initiate a party expulsion procedure and further legal consequences against the individual in question. However, this has been rendered moot by the person’s departure from the party, Banaszak added.
The party’s leader expressed a personal sense of being affected and shaken, stating that the behavior in question, characterized by criminal energy and low morals, has no place in their party. Gelbhaar, he claimed, has suffered damage due to the alleged false statements and the subsequent reporting. The party explicitly regrets this.
Since the alleged false statements became public, the Green Party’s ombudsperson has been in contact with additional reporting individuals. “At present, seven of these individuals are still standing by their reports” Banaszak said, without commenting on the truth of the reports.
The Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) had previously acknowledged errors in its reporting on the case. For weeks, the RBB had reported on alleged harassment claims against Gelbhaar, which he has consistently denied, describing them as fabricated.
The broadcaster had claimed to have spoken with multiple women and had presented sworn statements, but a central document has since been revealed to be a forgery. Due to pressure from within the party, Gelbhaar had eventually decided to forgo a candidacy for a promising list position in the upcoming federal election and also lost the candidacy for a direct mandate.