Activist, who became famous for resistance to anti -panel measures, imposed an official admonition.
The founder of the German movement Querdenken (unconventional thinking) Michael Ballweg on Thursday, the Land Court of Stuttgart deprived the accused of fraud, but acknowledged him as guilty of tax evasion. The Querdenken Movement has become known for its protests against measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, TASR reports according to the DPA report.
The court imposed Balweg official admonition. The verdict is not yet final.
Finances of the movement
At the time he protested against pandemic measures, Bellweg collected funds from thousands of his followers through public challenges. According to the indictment for Querdenken, Ballweg raised more than a million euros, but has deceived donors about the purpose of the collection and used more than half a million euros of it for his own use, writes DPA.
The indictment asks for a prison sentence of three years. Balweg’s defense has refused since the beginning of the accusation, and the defendant himself claimed that the activities for Querdenken had personally cost him approximately 80,000 euros.
A dispute in court
The Land Court proposed in March to reject the case on the grounds that its importance was minimal and that the Ballwega could not be demonstrated by an unfair intention. However, the prosecutor dismissed this proposal.
The German Querdenken Movement originated in Stuttgart during the Covid-19 pandemic and spread to cities across the country. Its supporters protested against measures to restrict movement, vaccination requirements and other forms of the federal government response. There were also incidents, including attacks on police or journalists, adds DPA.
