- "Cross-thinker" initiator Ballweg to appear in court from October
The trial against "Querdenken" initiator Michael Ballweg for attempted fraud in 9,450 cases will begin on October 2nd at the Stuttgart Regional Court. A court spokesman confirmed this. Initially, trial dates have been set until spring 2025.
Ballweg is alleged to have raised over one million euros in donations for the organization through public appeals, deceiving donors about the use of the funds. Ballweg has consistently denied these allegations. He was released from pretrial detention in April 2023. His lawyer, Reinhard Loeffler, stated that the defense believes the allegations are unfounded, and the trial will confirm this.
The criminal chamber of the regional court initially did not allow the indictment for attempted fraud, but the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart granted the prosecution's appeal against this refusal. Therefore, the trial will now take place before the economic crimes chamber. The charge of money laundering has been definitively dropped.
Ballweg also faces charges of tax evasion. The "Querdenken" movement emerged in Stuttgart during the COVID-19 pandemic and held public demonstrations against political measures to contain the virus in many German cities. These demonstrations sometimes involved attacks on police officers and journalists.
Four years after the first major "Querdenken" demonstration in Berlin, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital again this weekend. Some carried flags with a dove of peace, while others demanded an "investigation into the Corona measures" and "consequences for those responsible" on their banners. Ballweg was the organizer of the demonstration.
Stuttgart Regional Court
Despite Ballweg's repeated denials, the trial for alleged fraud in 9,450 cases due at the Stuttgart Regional Court on October 2nd may challenge his assertions, requiring him to think in reverse and defend his actions thoroughly. Despite the dropped money laundering charge, the tax evasion allegations still loom large in this high-profile case.
