Kehl / Offenburg (dpa / lsw) – Because he is said to have done crooked things with arcade operators, the public prosecutor’s office in Offenburg wants to put an employee of the city of Kehl (Ortenaukreis) on trial. The authority announced on Monday that she had accused him of particularly serious bribery, acceptance of advantages and possession of doping substances. In addition, four owners and employees involved in the companies concerned are to be held accountable for bribery, among other things. The Offenburg district court has not yet decided whether to start a trial.
According to the information, the city employee was responsible for issuing machine installation and arcade permits. Among other things, he is said to have promised a managing director an exemption for a casino, although the legal requirements for this were not in place. In addition, he is said to have announced police checks in advance. In return, he allegedly received several holiday invitations and four-digit cash.
The man is said to have helped another arcade operator, among other things, with insider knowledge to obtain a license, deliberately refrained from reporting despite a regulatory violation and granted illegal exemptions. The public prosecutor assumes that in return – also for future help – he was promised a share of 50,000 euros in his planned private property purchase.
The police arrested the accused last November. Among other things, they searched an office in Kehl’s town hall. They found large amounts of testosterone in the man’s apartment. He was released from custody after a good two weeks, subject to conditions. According to the information, he faces a prison sentence of up to ten years.