On Monday, the public prosecutor's office and the police visited the Mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann (SPD), in his office with a search warrant from the district court.

A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office confirmed the operation, which is related to the charge of suspected acceptance of benefits against Feldmann.

When asked, the Frankfurt Regional Court said that it had recently received a corresponding application from the public prosecutor's office and then issued the order.

Feldmann's spokesman denied that the rooms had been searched: There was only one conversation between the public prosecutor's office and the mayor, at which a police officer was also present.

Nothing was secured or confiscated.

Bernhard Biener

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung

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Anna Sophia Lang

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Rainer Schulz

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When asked, the public prosecutor's office then made it clear that there had indeed been a search order from the regional court.

However, the judicial decision contained a so-called “right to avert” which stipulates that a search of the premises can be refrained from if the accused voluntarily surrenders the documents sought.

In the case of Feldmann, the mayor admitted in an interview that there were.

However, he did not find her.

From the point of view of the public prosecutor, however, it was enough that Feldmann confirmed the existence of the documents.

Charges are with the Corruption Criminal Court

In March, the public prosecutor brought charges against Feldmann.

She accuses him of using his position to get his partner at the time and later wife a position as head of a German-Turkish day-care center run by the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO), including a company car, that pays more than the collective wage agreement.

In addition, the AWO Frankfurt is said to have supported him in the election campaign for the mayoral office in 2018 by raising donations.

In return, he is said to have "tacitly agreed" with those responsible that he would "benevolently consider the interests of AWO Frankfurt" in his future office.

The indictment is now with a commercial criminal division of the district court, which is responsible for corruption proceedings.

The judges are currently examining what the public prosecutor's office has compiled in the so-called interim proceedings and will then decide on admission and the subsequent opening of the main proceedings.

The spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office described it as quite normal for further witnesses to be heard in the interim proceedings and for searches to be requested if new findings had arisen.

The Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that in this phase the public prosecutor's office and the accused can submit requests for evidence and objections, which the court will decide on.

New evidence in Feldmann's office?

The court can also order further evidence to be taken if it deems it necessary.

It can also discuss the status of the proceedings with those involved if it believes this will help the process.

If the judges come to the conclusion after the interim proceedings that the accused is sufficiently suspicious of the alleged crimes, they open the main proceedings.

The Code of Criminal Procedure states that searches may be carried out on an accused person if it is suspected that they will “lead to the discovery of evidence”.

Neither the public prosecutor's office nor the district court said on Monday, with reference to the procedure, what new evidence was suspected after a previous investigation that had lasted a year in the mayor's office.

Feldmann had described the allegations as "unfounded and excessive".

In the case of public appearances, however, he would "use a sense of proportion," he said after the indictment.

At the beginning of April, he announced that he would no longer stand in the 2024 mayoral election and that his party membership would be suspended if the indictment were approved.