Awo affair about Peter Feldmann: Charges brought against the mayor

Created: 03/22/2022, 15:38

By: Julia Lorenz

There was still reason to be happy: In March 2018, when Peter Feldmann (SPD) celebrated winning the runoff election and his second six-year term in office with his wife and Awo employee Zübeyde, who is now separated from him.

© Roessler

In the Awo affair about Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt is apparently bringing charges.

Local politicians are now demanding consequences.

Frankfurt – The air is getting thinner for Frankfurt's mayor: Peter Feldmann (SPD) has so far always denied that he could have used his good relationships with his former employer, Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo), to derive private benefits from them, but now the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt* apparently raises charges against the mayor.

Hessischer Rundfunk learned this from judicial circles on Monday (March 21, 2022).

However, Feldmann had not yet received the indictment.

Still, he said, "Finally.

A procedure gives me the opportunity to clear up the excessive suspicions.

I've been waiting for this for two years now."

As a reminder: In November 2019 it became known that Feldmann's wife Zübeyde*, who is now separated from him, was hired as a daycare manager at Awo on unusually good terms - including a company car.

A good year ago, shortly before the local elections, it transpired that the Frankfurt public prosecutor was investigating Feldmann because of the initial suspicion of taking advantage in office *, as reported by fnp.de.

Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann: Transparency offensive without the desired success

Feldmann responded to the allegations with a “transparency offensive”.

At the beginning of September 2020, he announced that he wanted to become Germany's first "transparent mayor"* and published his tax assessment from 2018. Around the same time, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior initiated disciplinary proceedings against him at Feldmann's request.

He submitted this application in March 2020 with the aim of being acquitted of the allegations by his employer, Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU).

But the proceedings have been suspended since the public prosecutor's office has been investigating.

Feldmann's lawyer, David Hofferbert, declined to comment on the charges against his client yesterday because he did not yet have the indictment.

A year ago, the lawyer specializing in civil service law accused the public prosecutor's office and the Ministry of the Interior of procrastination, delay and a lack of willingness to provide information*.

"The public prosecutor's office leaves a prejudgment to the public," Hofferbert said in an interview with this newspaper at the time.

This is not a fair process and has nothing to do with the rule of law.

FDP in Frankfurt demands harsh consequences for Mayor Peter Feldmann

The Frankfurt FDP was the first to react on Monday evening to the news that charges were being brought against the mayor.

District chairman Thorsten Lieb asked the mayor in a press release to refrain from any public appearances “with immediate effect” in order to rule out further burdens for the city and the office.

"In this situation, it would be simply inconceivable that Peter Feldmann would receive delegations as Lord Mayor or appear at events as Lord Mayor and thus official representative in the Paulskirche," said Lieb.

For him, an indictment against the mayor "is not only a significant burden for the city of Frankfurt".

"It would also be completely impossible to exercise an office according to the motto 'business as usual'," says Lieb.

The CDU city councilor Yannick Schwander went one step further.

He wrote on social networks: "Should charges really be brought, there can only be one final consequence: resign and immediately!".

If the indictment is successful, Mayor Feldmann faces criminal proceedings in Frankfurt

FDP district chairman Lieb pointed out, however, that “the presumption of innocence” still applies.

However, it was "completely clear" that Feldmann "would have to resign immediately" should the indictment lead to a conviction.

Now the responsible court has to allow the indictment of the public prosecutor's office.

If it does so, there would be a public criminal trial against the Frankfurt mayor.

(Julia Lorenz)