Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – A money laundering trial with a volume of 1.2 million euros ended with an acquittal before the Frankfurt District Court. The court found on Monday that there was no evidence that the 30-year-old accused knew where the money that had been transferred to her by her parents, who live in China, came from. Regardless of the verdict, however, the judges confiscated the money – until possible owners assert their claims, the treasury keeps the money.
After the money was in the student’s account in spring 2019, the bank reported it to the police and public prosecutor’s office, according to regulations. The money was confiscated and the account owner was charged with money laundering. In court, she asserted that the money had been transferred to her by her parents and came from a house sale. She wanted to use it to buy a condominium in Frankfurt. According to the verdict, this admission could not be refuted. The investigations had meanwhile revealed that the money came from large-scale fraud in China. Therefore, the court also ordered the confiscation of the amount. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
