Allegations of harassment by the police: investigations against Strobl

Created: 05/04/2022Updated: 05/04/2022 18:51

Thomas Strobl (CDU, M) gives a statement on the sidelines of a plenary session of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament.

© Marijan Murat/dpa

The alleged sex scandal involving a high-ranking police officer is already a mess for the Minister of the Interior.

But now Strobl's political future is suddenly at stake.

The public prosecutor's office is investigating the CDU man.

Stuttgart - Baden-Württemberg's Minister of the Interior, Thomas Strobl, finds himself in serious trouble in the affair surrounding allegations of harassment against a high-ranking police officer.

The public prosecutor's office in Stuttgart announced on Wednesday evening that they are now also investigating Strobl.

The background is that the CDU politician passed on a letter from the accused police officer's lawyer to a journalist.

The public prosecutor's office said that investigations had been launched against the journalist on suspicion of prohibited disclosures about court hearings and Strobl on suspicion of incitement to do so.

The opposition had previously asked Strobl to resign.

By passing on the letter, he made official secrets public, violated his duty of care as an employer and violated data protection, criticized the SPD, FDP and AfD.

That was a "scandalous process," said SPD faction leader Andreas Stoch.

His FDP colleague Hans-Ulrich Rülke said: "With the abysses that open up, this minister can no longer remain in office." Strobl had clearly refused to resign at noon and said: "I don't know why."

Strobl justifies himself and refers to public interest

The minister rejected criticism from the opposition.

Although there was a communication error, he is concerned in the proceedings against the senior official with "maximum clarification and maximum transparency".

He denied that he had made himself liable to prosecution by passing on the letter.

The focus must be on “clarification of the allegations” against the police officer.

He is said to have committed "crimes against sexual self-determination".

It does not understand why the opposition is now criticizing that he wants to ensure transparency.

The sticking point in the preliminary investigation will probably be the question to what extent the public interest and freedom of the press are in the foreground in this case.

The public prosecutor's statement states: "Anyone who (...) reads the indictment or other official documents of criminal proceedings, fine proceedings or disciplinary proceedings, in whole or in essential parts, in the wording, shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year or with a fine communicated publicly before they have been discussed in public hearings or the procedure has been completed."

In addition to the investigations, Strobl is also threatened with an investigative committee.

Rülke told the dpa: “Out of consideration for the police, this minister should resign or be removed by the prime minister.

If this is not done, the opposition has no choice but to uncover his further misconduct within the framework of a committee of inquiry, until even Mr. Kretschmann has no choice but to fire him.” The green coalition partner was internally irritated as to why the minister himself got involved in this delicate procedure.

However, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann backed his deputy in the afternoon.

"I had the Minister of the Interior explain the situation to me.

He credibly explained to me that there was no violation of the law and that he was concerned with creating transparency," said the Green politician in the afternoon.

"I appreciate Thomas Strobl very much and he continues to have my full trust."

more on the subject

Harassment allegations: Strobl under massive pressure

Police sex scandal: Strobl stops investigations

Kretschmann does not want to evaluate the anger about the lawyer's letter

The CDU country chief is considered a confidante of Kretschmann in the green-black coalition.

The parliamentary group's interior expert, Oliver Hildenbrand, also rejected the "reflexive demands for resignation".

He appealed: "We must not lose sight of the overriding issues of abuse of power and sexualised violence." For the CDU parliamentary group, Thomas Blenke explained that the demands for resignation against Strobl were "simply unfounded".

FDP sees Strobl as constitutional minister intolerable

FDP man Rülke, on the other hand, said that Strobl wanted to stop the public prosecutor's investigation into the publication of the letter and to torpedo the disciplinary proceedings against the official.

"This is a fundamental attack on the rule of law by the constitutional minister." In a U-committee, the promotion practice of the state police and the ministry could also be examined, according to the SPD and FDP.

Ironically, the accused officer was responsible for the values ​​campaign

The public prosecutor's office has been investigating suspected sexual harassment against the leading police officer since November.

The man is said to have harassed a chief inspector in a video chat with his ideas about sexual practices.

Sources from the interior committee said that the transcript of the video chat, which is available to the deputies, clearly shows that the policewoman's husband offered to help her in her career if she were to be of sexual service to him.

This is clearly also about abuse of power, it said.

What makes the matter even more explosive: Before his suspension from the state police, the official was responsible for the internal value campaign against sexualized violence.

Because the letter from the police officer's lawyer to the ministry became public, the public prosecutor's office also became active in the matter.

The Ministry of the Interior then admitted that it had made the letter public "in coordination with the top management to a single journalist".

In it, the lawyer is said to have asked the ministry for a clarifying conversation.

Minister speaks of "poisoned offer" by the lawyer

Strobl said the integrity of the police is at stake here.

It was therefore impossible for him to accept the lawyer's offer for a personal interview outside of the due process.

"Such deals cannot be made with me." He made the letter public because he feared that the other side would give it to the press.

Then you would have had to explain how it reacted to it.

"That was a poisoned offer."

The minister admitted that it was wrong not to say that the Interior Ministry itself released the letter from the policeman's lawyer to the press.

"A mistake was made in the communication." He looks forward to a possible investigative committee.

"It's all on the table." dpa