Administrative Court Mandates Disclosure of Prosecutor Investigations into Merz Complaints
The Berlin Administrative Court has ruled that Friedrich Merz and the Federal Chancellery must disclose information about ongoing criminal investigations stemming from the Chancellor's complaints of insults. This decision represents a legal victory for the newspaper Tagesspiegel in its transparency efforts.
The Berlin Administrative Court has ordered Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Federal Chancellery to disclose which prosecutors across Germany are conducting investigations based on Merz's complaints of insults. This ruling enables systematic research into these cases for the first time.
The investigations are based on Paragraph 188 of the German Criminal Code, which provides enhanced legal protection for politicians against insults, defamation, and slander, with penalties up to three years imprisonment. The Chancellery reportedly receives approximately 20-30 such inquiries monthly. While Merz does not personally file charges, he also does not object to investigations.
In December, it was revealed that Merz had filed around 5,000 complaints through a legal firm. The court's decision is not yet final and can be appealed to the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg.
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