Heilbronn (dpa/lsw) – Baden-Württemberg is taking in more money with money requirements imposed by courts and public prosecutors. In 2021, the judiciary ordered the accused and convicts to pay around 22.17 million euros, as reported by “Heilbronner Voice” and “Südkurier” (Thursday). The amount increased by around seven percent compared to 2020, when it was 20.7 million euros. For comparison: in 2019 the amount was exactly 22 million euros, in 2018 it was 17.4 million euros.
According to Article 153a of the Code of Criminal Procedure, courts and public prosecutors can discontinue investigations and criminal proceedings by imposing the payment of fines. Legally, however, according to the Ministry of Justice, the requirement must be met that the public interest in criminal prosecution can be eliminated through the payment, according to the legal formulation. A judge must therefore decide that criminal prosecution can be waived. According to the Stuttgart Ministry of Justice, this is always about small and medium-sized crime cases.
