Cologne Regional Court - Drach withdraws confidence from defense lawyers
After SEK officers have brought him to the front of the courtroom, Thomas Drach walks past his two defense lawyers without a greeting and without the usual "shake hands". The 62-year-old demonstratively takes his seat in the dock at Cologne District Court on Friday, keeping a clear distance. The presiding judge remarks dryly: "Ah, new seating arrangements." Then he asks: "Is there a need for clarification, Mr. Drach?" The 62-year-old just growls: "Yes."
Then, on this 98th day of the trial, the bombshell bursts: in two letters to the court, the former Reemtsma kidnapper has requested the dismissal of his two defense lawyers. On Friday, Drach made a sweeping attack in a statement read off the page. For example, one of the defense attorneys had been "bought" by a senior public prosecutor and was in love with the public prosecutor's representatives. The only consequence the court could draw was to dismiss the defense lawyers and "immediately discontinue the proceedings against me", said Drach.
In the trial, which has been running since February 2022, the German is accused of four robberies of cash-in-transit vehicles in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main and Limburg in Hesse. He is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting and seriously injuring two money carriers.
On Friday, Drach again hinted that a conspiracy initiated by his former kidnap victim Jan Philipp Reemtsma was running against him. However, the defense attorneys would persistently refuse to take action against this conspiracy. On two previous days of the trial, Drach had already claimed that Reemtsma had been pursuing him for years and was also using the support of government agencies such as the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office.
Drach had kidnapped the tobacco company heir in 1996 and only released him after a ransom had been paid. Drach was later sentenced to fourteen and a half years in prison for the crime.
It was also announced on Friday that the second public defender had already applied to the court last week for his own dismissal. The motion read out by the judge stated that there were "fundamental differences of opinion regarding the further defense of the client that cannot be resolved".
After the hearing, trial observers described Drach's motion as "crude" and did not believe it had any chance of success. The chamber will now deliberate on the matter. The next day of the trial is scheduled for next Wednesday.
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- Despite Drach's allegations of a conspiracy against him by Jan Philipp Reemtsma, his defense lawyers in Cologne Regional Court have refused to take action.
- The dismissal of both defense lawyers was requested by the former Reemtsma kidnapper, Thomas Drach, in two letters to the court, leading to the discontinuation of the proceedings against him, as per his statement.
- In the trial, which commenced in February 2022, Drach is accused of four robberies in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, and Limburg in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as attempted murder for shooting and injuring two money carriers.
- Drach, now 62, faced the Cologne District Court on Friday, demonstratively avoiding the customary "shake hands" with his defense lawyers before taking his seat in the dock, keeping a distance.
- Hinting at a conspiracy against him, Drach accused one of his defense attorneys of being "bought" by a senior public prosecutor and being in love with the public prosecutor's representatives.
- In the same trial, the second public defender announced their intention to withdraw from representing Drach, citing "fundamental differences of opinion regarding the further defense of the client that cannot be resolved."
Source: www.stern.de
