No payment for pensioners from the "Reichsbürger" movement
According to a court decision, a member of the "Reichsbürger" movement cannot demand that his pension be paid out in cash. According to the Berlin-Brandenburg Regional Social Court, there is no legal basis for the pensioner's request, as a court spokesperson announced on Tuesday. According to the information, a 65-year-old man from the Dahme-Spreewald district wanted to force the cash payment in summary proceedings.
The man sees himself as a citizen of a "Free State of Prussia" and claims not to be a German within the meaning of the Basic Law. According to the court, the pensioner has no valid identity documents and no bank account. The responsible registration office had refused to issue the man with an ID card in the summer, as he had requested that "Free State of Prussia" be entered as his nationality. The 65-year-old then applied for a cash payment of his pension. He was denied this.
The man therefore initially took his case to the Cottbus Social Court. As this was unsuccessful, he tried the next higher instance - unsuccessfully. According to the regional social court, pension benefits are personal entitlements. Therefore, it was not objectionable if the identity of the payee was verified on the basis of a valid identity document from an actually existing state, it said. According to the court, the decision is incontestable.
"Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures. In 2022, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimated that around 23,000 people across Germany belonged to the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" scene, 2,000 more than in the previous year.
Despite the pensioner's affiliation with extremist groups like the "Reichsbürger" movement, the court ruled against his request for cash pension payments due to the lack of a legal basis and valid identity documents. Consequently, the ongoing financial struggles of pensioners affiliated with such groups remain a complex issue within the realm of social justice processes.
Source: www.dpa.com
