Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – After the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court had to release six suspected violent criminals due to being overloaded, the SPD sees the new Hessian Minister of Justice as responsible. Roman Poseck (CDU) promised when he took office that everything would get better, said the SPD parliamentary group leader in the Hessian state parliament, Günter Rudolph, on Saturday in Wiesbaden and asked: “Is it good for the Hessian citizens that alleged violent criminals are free walk around?”

Poseck, as President of the Higher Regional Court (OLG), recently warned against such a development. According to Rudolph, if arrest warrants were to be lifted due to procedural delays, Posek had spoken of a “declaration of bankruptcy by the rule of law”. “Now it is up to him, as the new Minister of Justice, to prevent the bankruptcy of the rule of law. Ten new hires and an expression of regret will not be enough,” said Rudolph. The Higher Regional Court said itself that it was “structurally overloaded”. “This cry for help must be heard.”

On Friday, the Higher Regional Court ordered the release of six suspected criminals from custody because their proceedings were taking too long. The arrest warrants were lifted. In total, there are three different criminal proceedings, in one case with four suspects. They are charged with crimes such as attempted manslaughter. Poseck regretted the procedural delays on Friday. “This is a bad signal in our constitutional state, which should stand for consistent criminal prosecution,” he said.