The “lateral thinking” initiator Michael Ballweg has been in custody since the end of June. Because of the acute danger of escaping, he should stay there for the time being.
Stuttgart – The founder of the “lateral thinking” movement, Michael Ballweg, remains in custody after a detention review. The district court in Stuttgart decided on Friday (August 19) to uphold the arrest warrant, Ballweg’s lawyer Alexander Christ said.
According to Christ, the defense team wants to “make a statement at short notice after evaluating and justifying”. The 47-year-old’s lawyer had applied for a detention review because they did not consider the suspicions raised in the investigation file to be covered, as lawyer Christ said. After a detention review date last Monday (August 15), the Stuttgart district court initially did not make a decision, but made use of a one-week period.
“Thinking outside the box” movement: In the case of Ballweg, there is still a risk of absconding
The public prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart is investigating Ballweg for fraud and money laundering. He has been in custody since June 29 because of the risk of absconding. According to the authorities, a search at the end of June revealed concrete evidence that Ballweg wanted to sell his assets abroad. According to information from judicial circles, there is a suspicion of fraud in the amount of around 640,000 euros and money laundering in the amount of around 430,000 euros.
Previously, they had shown confidence that Ballweg would then be released. According to the information, the appointment on Monday should check whether the urgent suspicion and the risk of flight still exist. Another verbal detention review can only be requested at intervals of three months, as the Stuttgart district court had previously announced.
According to the police, several hundred supporters of the “lateral thinking” movement gathered in front of the prison in Stuttgart-Stammheim during the detention review to demonstrate for the release of the prominent critic of the Corona measures. (nak/dpa)
