Berlin public prosecutor's office - "4 Blocks" star Kida Khodr Ramadan to start prison sentence
Kida Khodr Ramadan was summoned to prison. He was reportedly summoned "for immediate prison sentence within fourteen days," according to a spokesperson for the Berlin Prosecutor's Office in response to an inquiry. The 47-year-old was sentenced to ten months in prison in Berlin in February 2022 for traffic violations - initially on probation. However, this probation was revoked. Ramadan received a summons to serve his sentence at the beginning of the year. He resisted this with various means - unsuccessfully so far.
The exact date when the actor must report to prison could not be confirmed by the spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office. The reason for the conviction was 33 cases in which Ramadan was caught driving without a license. According to his lawyer, Kai Walden, the reason Ramadan is to be imprisoned instead of being placed on probation again is due to a procedural error in the revocation of the probation.
Gnadengesuch filed
Walden, a lawyer from Hamburg, has represented the actor for several months and has tried various ways to prevent the prison sentence. Most recently, he filed a clemency petition on behalf of his client. The Berlin Senate Justice Administration still needs to make a decision on this matter. However, this process has no staying effect, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Walden informed the German Press Agency that his client has also filed an application for a provisional suspension of execution. In his view, there are "substantial grounds for clemency due to the unlawfulness of the probation revocation decision." The "public interest does not require immediate enforcement." The Senate Justice Administration now needs to make a decision on this matter.
Should all legal remedies have been exhausted without success, Ramadan will voluntarily surrender himself to the summons, according to his lawyer. "He is not claiming any special privileges for himself," Walden added.
Another conviction not yet legally binding
Despite the conviction that is now supposed to send Ramadan to prison, the actor was again caught up in traffic offenses in 2023. At the end of February, the Tiergarten District Court sentenced him again for reckless driving without a license - this time to a prison term of ten months. Since the 47-year-old was already sentenced, the Tiergarten District Court saw no probation. In addition, it imposed a one-year driving ban.
Both Ramadan and the Prosecutor's Office have filed appeals against the judgment. The Prosecutor's Office had demanded a total sentence of 14 months in prison. The defense had requested a probation sentence.
Became famous through "4 Blocks"
Ramadan played the head of a criminal Arab-origin clan in Berlin-Neukölln in the critically acclaimed series "4 Blocks," which required him to deal with murder, violence, drug deals, other gangs, and police from the Criminal Investigation Department (LKA). The multiple award-winning series was Ramadan's breakthrough as an actor. At the beginning of the year, the seven-part ARD series "Testo," in which he is the lead actor, co-author, and co-director, premiered.
Kida Ramadan's legal team, led by Kai Walden, is actively challenging his prison sentence due to procedural errors and unlawfulness in the revocation of his probation. The public prosecutor's office in Berlin, however, maintains that the decision process has no staying effect.
Despite the impending imprisonment, Ramadan was charged with reckless driving without a license again in 2023, leading to another prison sentence. Both parties have filed appeals against this judgment.
The 47-year-old actor, famous for his role in the critically acclaimed series "4 Blocks," was initially sentenced to ten months in prison for traffic violations in February 2022. His probation was later revoked, leading to his current prison sentence.
Walden, on behalf of Ramadan, has filed a clemency petition and an application for a provisional suspension of execution, citing substantial grounds for clemency and no public interest in immediate enforcement.
Incidentally, Ramadan's ten-month prison sentence in 2022 was also for reckless driving without a license, with 33 violations accounted for. The Berlin Senate Justice Administration is yet to make a decision on these legal remedies.
The German penal system, including the Berlin prison system, is now preparing for the arrival of Ramadan, who must report to prison once the exact date is confirmed. His attorney has stated that Ramadan is not claiming any special privileges, ready to surrender himself once all legal remedies have been exhausted.
