Fraud Case - Ex-pastor back in court <unk> Negotiations until January 2025
Expected retrial against former pastor to conclude by late January 2025 at Hildesheim Regional Court. Health issues of the man have led to the trial being limited to three hours per day, with a total of 33 days scheduled, a court spokesman said. On Thursday, the trial opened with only the indictment being read.
The Federal Court of Justice overturned the man's first conviction in February 2023 due to a procedural error. Previously, the regional court had stated that the December 2021 verdict was "factually correct," but the panel had not adequately informed the court about attempts to involve the defendant outside of the public trial.
Suspended sentence in the first trial
The former pastor was sentenced to a suspended sentence of one year and eight months in the first trial. The court found that he had defrauded the church of over 44,000 euros.
Between 2012 and 2016, the man submitted fake invoices and false receipts to the church office. However, many of the alleged purchases, ranging from children's Bibles to altar cloths, did not exist. He was convicted of 44 counts of fraud and forgery. Initially, 163 counts were charged.
He is now being retried for these 163 counts. In total, the 65-year-old is accused of obtaining over 52,000 euros through fraudulent means.
The retrial of the former pastor for the alleged fraudulent activities, totaling over 52,000 euros, is set to conclude at the Hildesheim Regional Court by late January 2025. Despite health issues, the trial is scheduled for 33 days, with each day containing a maximum of three-hour sessions.
