Former national team player on trial - Public Prosecutor demands millions in fines for Boateng
In the proceedings against the former German football national player Jérôme Boateng, the prosecution is demanding a fine of 1.12 million Euro from the 35-year-old. "The facts of the case are clear to me," said the prosecutor in her closing statement before the Munich I Regional Court. She argued for a fine of 160 daily fines of 7,000 Euro. Boateng's lawyer's statement from his ex-girlfriend, who accuses him of violence, was: "It's a real David-against-Goliath fight." Boateng showed "no sense of injustice."
Boateng's defense demanded at most a "moderate fine" for negligent bodily harm or the dismissal of the proceedings against a financial penalty. The amount was left to the discretion of the court. He spoke of a "fabricated narrative of the woman-beater," "mutual roughhousing," and reciprocal bodily harm. Boateng pushed his ex-girlfriend away, hit her in the lip.
Boateng: "I'm also tired"
Boateng himself spoke in his final statement before the court about a mistake. He thanked the court for making a "comprehensive picture" of the situation. He had kept quiet for a long time but now had to defend himself. He could still drag it out - "but I'm also tired and don't want that." He closed with the sentence: "Above all, I want to apologize to my children and thank them."
Lengthy Proceedings
At the heart of the proceedings are allegations of violence from Boateng's ex-girlfriend during a shared Caribbean vacation. The corresponding proceedings against the long-time defender of FC Bayern Munich, who recently switched from the Italian club US Salernitana to the Linzer ASK in Austria, are dragging on. The Munich Amtsgericht had already imposed a fine on Boateng in 2021: 60 daily fines of 30,000 Euro each, totaling 1.8 million Euro.
The Munich I Regional Court sentenced Boateng in October 2022 in the second instance for bodily harm and defamation to a fine of 120 daily fines of 10,000 Euro - a total of 1.2 million Euro. However, the Bavarian Higher Regional Court quashed the judgment due to fundamental legal errors.
Charges: Violence during Caribbean vacation
The accusations go back several years: The ex-girlfriend of Boateng accuses him of attacking her in 2018 during a shared Caribbean vacation. She reported that the 35-year-old threw a windlight and a cooler at her. Later, he spat at her, pulled her hair, hit her in the face with both hands, and bit her in the head. She cut herself on the broken windlight glass, suffered hematomas and abrasions. He threatened her that the common children would end up in an orphanage if she reported the incident to the authorities.
The prosecutor expressed no doubt about the credibility of the ex-girlfriend's statements. Boateng's statements were, in turn, called "protective statements" by the prosecutor.
Boateng had denied the accusations of his ex-partner from the start of the new proceedings. He claimed to have defended himself against an attack by his then-partner and pushed her away. For this push, he asked for forgiveness. In his detailed statement before the court, he spoke of a "nightmare" and denied the violence charges.
Before the pleadings, a common acquaintance of Boateng and his ex-girlfriend testified and described their relationship as emotionally charged and extraordinarily difficult. He recounted an incident where the ex-girlfriend allegedly hit Boateng in the face, and later on, she reportedly attempted suicide.
They had "a miserable relationship," the man said. "Both were unsuited to carry on a relationship." In light of their twin daughters, this was a terrible development. "I find it a shame that it has come to this," he emphasized, and Judge Susanne Hemmerich agreed: "I do too." The judgment is expected to be handed down on the coming Friday.
- The case against Jerome Boateng, the former German football national player, is being handled by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Munich.
- The allegation of violence against Boateng stems from an incident during a shared Caribbean vacation with his ex-girlfriend.
- Boateng's ex-girlfriend has accused him of inflicting bodily harm, including throwing objects at her and physically assaulting her.
- The Munich Regional Court is currently considering a fine of 1.12 million Euro, as demanded by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
- If found guilty, Boateng could face a fine up to 1.12 million Euro, a significant amount even in wealthy Bavaria, known for its love of soccer and Germany's national sport.
- In his defense, Boateng's lawyer argues for a moderate fine or the dismissal of the proceedings altogether, citing mutual roughhousing and reciprocal bodily harm.
- The Munich I Regional Court will deliver its verdict on the case on the coming Friday, ending a lengthy and complex process in the German legal system.
- The process against Jerome Boateng, a prominent figure in German soccer, highlights the seriousness of criminality and the importance of upholding justice, even for high-profile public figures.
