Status: 27.03.2019 5:16 p.m..
The Cologne district court has acquitted a MAD officer. He was accused of having warned a contact person of the right-wing extremist officer Franco A. about an investigation. The public prosecutor’s office announced an appeal.
The Cologne District Court acquitted a Lieutenant Colonel of the Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD) of the charge of betrayal of secrets in the case of the far-right soldier Franco A. The 43-year-old was accused of having passed on information in advance about a raid on the elite unit Command Special Forces (KSK) in 2017.
However, the court did not consider it demonstrable that the man passed on information without authorization, as a court spokeswoman said.
The MAD lieutenant colonel had been accused of providing information about planned searches of the elite KSK unit.
Who knew about the planned search?
A spokesman for the Cologne public prosecutor’s office immediately announced an appeal against the judgment, which must first be available in writing. The prosecution had asked for one year probation and the payment of 5,000 euros as probation.
The court had to clarify whether the MAD man, as a contact person for the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), http://anews.website/2020/10/28/is-it-bad-if-super-e10-and-super-e5-are-mixed-up/ had knowledge of a planned search in the Graf Zeppelin barracks of the KSK in Calw in Baden-Württemberg and to the KSK NCO Andre S., who was also the MAD’s confidante.
The raid in September 2017 was part of the investigation into the Franco A case. It had become known beforehand. A. is accused by the federal prosecutor of planning an attack and posing as an asylum seeker in order to direct suspicion of refugees.
However, the Federal Court of Justice revoked the arrest warrant against A. at the end of November 2017 – in the absence of any urgent suspicion.
Franco A. case – scandal without consequences?
Contradicting witness statements.
Andre S. and two other KSK soldiers questioned as witnesses because the Federal Prosecutor’s Office regarded them as close contacts to Franco A. Nationwide searches were also scheduled. Andre S. had stated that he had not received any information from the MAD man.
On the other hand, Andre S.’s military superior said that he had spoken of relevant information from a MAD lieutenant colonel. The court took this as hearsay information. Special requirements would have to be made of these in order to check credibility and contradictions.
The fact that the supervisor Andre S. described in the proceedings as a “babbler” and “whisker” does not offer any “starting points” for credibility.
“The sparrows whistled from the roofs”
The public prosecutor’s office had also submitted a BKA note. This states that the accused was not informed about searches, but was familiar with the BKA’s procedures. She classified this as a burden.
In contrast, the defense had pleaded for acquittal. The raid became known because the KSK soldiers were ordered on official channels to be ready for the day of the interrogation in the barracks. “The sparrows whistled from the roofs that something should happen this Friday,” said the defender.
The process was also politically explosive. The opposition demands that the federal government investigate possible right-wing extremist networks in the security authorities. It has therefore made several inquiries to the federal government.
WDR reported on this topic on March 20, 2019 at 12:45 p.m..
