Jürgen Richter, former managing director of the Frankfurt District Association of Workers' Welfare, also suffered a defeat against his former employer in the second instance.

The state labor court ruled on Thursday that the appeal was not allowed.

The AWO terminated Richter without notice in January 2020 and issued further terminations in the meantime.

The labor court declared one of these terminations to be effective in the first instance in October 2020.

Martin Ochmann

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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    Under Richter's leadership, he and some officials had received unusually high salaries and expensive company cars. Because of the events in the district association, which Richter led for 27 years, the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office is also investigating judges and other responsible persons on suspicion of fraud and infidelity in connection with the operation of refugee accommodation for the city.

    Richter, who announced his resignation in December 2019, had previously secured a generous payment for his partial retirement. He assumes that the termination against him is ineffective and that he is still entitled to the salary that the AWO should have paid him by the end of 2022, around 306,000 euros per year. According to his lawyer Bernhard Lorenz, deadlines have not been met. In addition, those who issued the terminations were in some cases not entitled to do so.

    While Richter's lawyer showed the willingness to reach an amicable settlement on Thursday, AWO lawyer Norbert Pflüger categorically refused.

    The Arbeiterwohlfahrt is an "altruistic social association that should serve others" - ideals that Richter massively violated, who enriched himself at the association's expense and "massively intervened in the financial circumstances" of the AWO.

    Pflüger again listed some of the reasons for dismissal, including expensive trips abroad for no apparent reason and high severance payments for former executives, which amounted to more than one million euros.

    “We can and we don't want to,” said Pflüger, referring to a comparison.