A doctor from Bochum is said to have issued patients with certificates exempting them from the corona mask requirement without having examined them. He denies that.
Bochum – More than a hundred spectators, double security checks, far too little space in the hall: the process of allegedly incorrect certificates for exemption from the corona mask requirement began in Bochum on Friday. A doctor is accused.
The public prosecutor accuses the 77-year-old from Bochum of having acted for “political and non-medical” reasons. According to the indictment, he wanted to enable patients to be able to move in public without a respirator. In some cases, he is said not to have even seen them before the certificates were issued. He himself denied the allegations at the start of the trial at the Bochum district court.
The family doctor has accused the public prosecutor’s office of “fantasizing”. The charges are based on “lies and fraud”. There were no incorrect certificates. In his case, the law is “bypassed, twisted and bent”.
Disagree with the rules?
The public prosecutor’s office has listed 21 cases from 2020 and 2021 in which the doctor is said to have issued certificates because he did not agree with the regulations for wearing respiratory masks.
According to the indictment, some of the certificates only stated that the patient was exempt from the mask requirement for health reasons. The keywords “anxiety” or “headache” are said to have been listed on others.
The certificates had been shown to police officers at political meetings or at train stations. According to prosecutors, some were also issued to children, who then presented them in their schools.
The suspect’s practice was searched for the first time in November 2020. According to him, his approval was then suspended. However, this was reversed after two months after a complaint was lodged with the administrative court.
The 77-year-old appeared in Bochum at demonstrations of lateral thinkers. According to his own statements, he also ran for the state and federal elections for the party “Die Basis”.
The Bochum regional court has scheduled three more days of trial until November 9th. The charge is to issue incorrect health certificates. dpa
