Justice - Charitable organizations receive many funds from fines
Courts and prosecutors in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern made available a large sum of money for charitable purposes last year. According to the Justice Ministry in Schwerin, these funds came from fines.
The charities received a total of approximately 942,000 Euro from the Ministry last year, slightly more than the previous year. In the past ten years, the amount reportedly exceeded 14 million Euro. In total, around 1.6 million Euro in fines were issued by courts and prosecutors last year, about 70% of which went to charities.
Dropping of Proceedings in Exchange for Fines
If investigative or criminal proceedings are discontinued, this can happen in exchange for a fine. These funds can be made available to charitable institutions by prosecutors and courts. This does not apply to fines that must be paid to the state treasury. In order to be included in the list, the Verein must prove its charitable status to the Oberlandesgericht Rostock.
Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt (Linke) stated: "Four of the ten most prominent charities focus on caring for seriously ill children in hospices or hospitals. The victim protection and volunteer emergency aid were also supported last year, as well as foundation work, which fosters a broad range of society."
The highest individual sum went to the Bürgerstiftung Wismar with 29,400 Euro, followed by the Förderverein Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Greifswald (28,500 Euro), the Verein zur Förderung krebskranker Kinder Rostock (22,900 Euro), and the Stiftung Denkmalschutz (16,350 Euro).
- The majority of the fines issued by the courts and the Prosecutor's Office in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern last year were directed towards addressing criminality.
- The Public Prosecutor's Office in Rostock has the authority to distribute fines to eligible charitable organizations, such as those that provide care for sick children.
- The Ministry of Justice in Schwerin oversees the distribution of funds collected from fines, with a large portion going towards charities that support various causes, including healthcare for children.
- Charities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, including those in Rostock and Schwerin, have benefited from money collected through fines imposed by courts and prosecutors, totaling over 14 million Euro in the past decade.
