Experienced Soccer Athlete - Again, Jérôme Boateng faces assault charges in a courtroom setting.
While his former teammates gear up for the Euro 2024 opening match against Scotland, ex-footballer Jerome Boateng sits in a Munich court: His trial for defamation and assault against his ex-partner commenced on Friday, June 14th.
The Bavarian Supreme Court revoked Boateng's conviction in September of last year due to procedural errors and sent the case back to the Munich I District Court. Consequently, the case is being retried there.
"He's naturally stressed out," said his lawyer Leonard Walischewski to the German Press Agency. During the initial trial at the District Court, there wasn't enough exonerating evidence for his client. Previously, Walischewski had already protested the trial's unfairness. "It was astonishingly unfair," he stated in September of the previous year. "The defendant Boateng was already found guilty before the appeal process began."
Jerome Boateng's court case needs to be replayed
The Munich I District Court sentenced Boateng to 120 days in prison, each carrying a fine of 10,000 euros - a total of 1.2 million euros - for assaulting and defaming his ex-girlfriend during a Caribbean trip in 2022.
However, the presiding judge committed a significant mistake, as the Bavarian Supreme Court established: As the defense filed an application against him to step down from the case, he was involved in the decision to dismiss it. This is a legal breach that necessitates a retrial. The court, however, permitted more than just Boateng's appeal. The prosecution and the co-plaintiff's appeals were also accepted.
The case against the former Bayern Munich player, who recently switched clubs to Austrian team LASK Linz from Italian club US Salernitana, has dragged on for some time. The Munich Magistrates' Court imposed a fine on Boateng earlier in 2021: 60 days at 30,000 euros each, amounting to 1.8 million euros.
Did Jerome Boateng assault and insult his ex-partner?
The trial will determine the key questions of this longstanding case: Did the former football star assault and insult his ex-partner? Or did the woman fabricate the entire incident - as Boateng claims - during a fight over their children?
The Munich I District Court has scheduled six hearing days to answer these questions. The potential verdict might be handed down on July 19th. Until the conclusion of the legal process, Boateng remains innocent according to the law.
