Indictment - Defective masks worth 20 million euros sold
Two men and a woman will soon have to stand trial for allegedly selling defective protective masks worth around 20 million euros to bona fide third parties in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. The public prosecutor's office in Schwerin has filed charges against a 55-year-old woman from Dresden, a 55-year-old man from Brandenburg and a 35-year-old man from Kiel for gang and commercial fraud in 116 cases.
Between March 2020 and December 2022, they allegedly imported protective equipment and medical products such as masks, protective suits and goggles in significant quantities from Vietnam and Turkey. It was clear to them that the goods did not comply with EU regulations because they had no or incorrect CE markings. Experts had examined the confiscated masks for the public prosecutor's office and had unanimously concluded that the products did not provide the required filter performance.
The public prosecutor' s office also accuses the trio of having advertised their products in a newspaper. This unlawfully gave the impression that the masks can render bacterial and viral pathogens such as the coronavirus harmless. Several media outlets had previously reported this.
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- The defective protective masks, amounting to around 20 million euros, were sold by the trio to various parties during the first year of the Coronavirus pandemic in Dresden.
- The public prosecutor's office in Brandenburg-Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is heavily involved in the processes associated with the indictment against the three individuals for selling substandard masks.
- The 55-year-old man from Kiel, along with his accomplices, allegedly imported large amounts of masks, protective suits, and goggles that did not comply with EU regulations from Vietnam and Turkey.
- The trio's actions, which included advertising their masks in a newspaper, resulted in a heavy indictment by the public prosecutor's office in Schleswig-Holstein.
- The public prosecutor's office in Schwerin has filed charges against the three individuals for carrying out criminality by selling defective masks and other medical equipment without the necessary CE markings.
- Despite the hefty consequences, the three alleged offenders continued their criminal activities in Dresden, leading to numerous incidents of fraud during the pandemic.
- Examinations conducted by experts revealed that the confiscated masks had inadequate filter performance, which is a significant safety concern for anyone wearing a protective mask.
- The case serves as a reminder of the importance of following regulations and ethical business practices, especially during a global health crisis such as the Coronavirus pandemic in Dresden.
Source: www.stern.de
