Empty troubles in the state house of Düsseldorf

“Telephone file” of the head of Deutsche Bank is closed

Yesterday, at the Land Court in Düsseldorf, what is commonly called the most spectacular economic trial in German history ended. And it ended, essentially, in nothing. Unless, of course, you consider that one of its six participants, the current head of Deutsche Bank Josef Ackermann, as he had hoped from the very beginning, managed to keep his reputation untarnished. Presiding judge Stefan Drees simply announced: since “there is no public interest in continuing the trial,” the court decided to terminate it. The only thing that is now required from the former defendants in the case of the sale of the former largest private mobile communications company Mannesmann to the British operator Vodafone is to deposit 5.8 million euros into the state treasury. This is only one tenth of the amount in dispute between the prosecution and the defense. Of this, 3.2 million euros will have to be paid to the head of Deutsche Bank, who was then the chairman of the supervisory board of Mannesmann and is considered the organizer of this dubious transaction.

In 2000, Mannesmann was sold to the British telecommunications giant Vodafone. This hostile takeover is considered the largest in the entire economic history of mankind. The volume of the transaction amounted to no less than 188 billion euros. In order to console themselves by giving the company into the wrong hands, the leaders of Mannesmann paid themselves “compensation” - bonuses and penalties for a very modest amount against this background - 57 million euros for the seven then members of the board. However, the employees of the investigative department of the Düsseldorf prosecutor's office did not think she was small. Investigators tried to accuse Ackermann and the leaders who joined him of corruption and illegal enrichment by prior conspiracy.

Everything turned out to be empty troubles in a government house. “The acts were committed six years ago,” said Judge Drees and emphasized that the defendants had already had to endure a “super-proportionate” burden over the years of the trial. He made the main argument for stopping any further hearings: “The open legal issues have proven impossible to clarify in the foreseeable period of time.” This was the judge's response to the defense's request to dismiss the case. The prosecutor's office also did not object.

Yesterday's court decision is viewed differently. Including this: “Joe Ackermann & Co.” They simply bought their way out of court. To this, Mr. Drees himself only evasively retorted that, they say, “the court does not share such an opinion.” According to Klaus Volk, Ackermann's lawyer, the court's decision completely drops all charges against his client. "This is not a second-class exoneration or a conviction," he said.

The Düsseldorf prosecutor's office also expressed satisfaction with the completion of the process. “This is not trading in justice,” Chief Prosecutor Peter Lichtenberg countered accusations of bribery. Termination of the process "in the broadest sense is in the interests of all its participants."

But most of all, those present at the trial were the representatives of the former control board of Mannesmann, which at one time supervised the division of penalties and compensation. They thanked Mr. Ackermann for his willingness to pay his own money and make it possible to end this lawsuit. And they wished him to “lead Deutsche Bank on a successful course and at full strength.”

Yuri Shpakov, Berlin