DRK donations are said to have ended up in a slush fund in the Hammer town hall for years. Based on a WA investigation from 2021, prosecutors and police investigated for three years and have now brought charges.

Hamm – A big bang in the run-up to Christmas: The Dortmund public prosecutor’s office has now brought charges before the Hammer jury court because of the possible criminal handling of donations that had been paid to the German Red Cross (DRK) in Hamm over the years. The only accused is the head of the former Office for Social Integration, Wolfgang Müller. The 63-year-old is accused of particularly serious infidelity.

DRK donations in the slush fund? Charges brought against Hammer office manager

In his role as city administrative director, Müller is said to have had the donations earmarked for integration work and the Hammer Ramadan market (among other things) paid out in cash by the DRK. What happened to the money afterwards is apparently unclear. If convicted, the law theoretically provides for a punishment range of six months to ten years in prison. The jury can impose prison sentences of up to four years.

Müller is supposed to return the donations paid to him in cash over the years (around 168,000 euros). The indictment was only recently received by the court and has therefore not yet been admitted to the main hearing. Any trial dates have not yet been set

According to WA research: DRK spoke of a “huge mistake” in 2021

The dubious donation box at the DRK district association in Hamm was discovered at the beginning of July 2021 through research by wade been revealed. The DRK confirmed that Müller had accepted regular cash payments. The money came predominantly from city subsidiaries, in particular the Sparkasse, but also the municipal utilities and the Hammer non-profit building company (HGB) and was paid into a DRK account – the so-called Müller account. In the period from January 2013 to July 31, 2016 alone, that was 130,000 euros in cash.

The office manager appeared to collect money up to 13 times a year. We don’t know what happened to the money. The DRK spoke at the time wade of a “huge mistake” and announced that he wanted to take part in a complete investigation.

Hamm’s former mayor: “I am horrified and speechless”

The city responded immediately to the publication in July 2021 and, in consultation with the DRK district association, called in the police and public prosecutor’s office. Former Mayor Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann, during whose term of office the incidents took place and who was also chairman of the Sparkasse’s board of directors from 1999 to 2020 and was therefore at least involved in the flow of donations, distanced himself from this wade about the events and was quoted as saying: “I am horrified and speechless. If I had known this ten years ago, I would have reacted exactly the way Marc Herter does now.”

In research published in December 2021, Hunsteger-Petermann admitted that he had “always advocated for these donations and initiated donations for integration work.” He was informed about all major donations, but never requested them in writing.

Head of Department Müller was the contact person for donations for the DRK

In their investigation, the police and public prosecutor’s office came to the conclusion that the DRK district association in Hamm maintained a business checking account at the Sparkasse Hamm, which, in consultation with Müller and with the approval of the mayor’s office under Hunsteger-Petermann, was available to the city of Hamm to receive donations status had been provided. From 2005 to 2021, expenses amounting to around 385,000 euros were incurred there. In addition to the “Integration work, Ramadan market” cost center, there was a second one for “Refugees/Bosnian aid”.

By order of the mayor, Müller was the responsible contact person for the DRK to decide on donations from the integration work/Ramadan market sector and was also authorized to dispose of them. Accordingly, he could and would have been allowed to transfer donations to a biller for a specific purpose or, alternatively, first transfer them to a city account and then have the designated transfers made.

Almost 169,000 euros gone: public prosecutor’s office makes serious allegations

As a spokeswoman for the district court announced on Thursday, according to the public prosecutor’s office, Müller deliberately deviated from these requirements in a large number of cases. In 72 transactions from January 2011 to July 2017, he had a total of around 168,450 euros paid out in cash, which he was not authorized to do.

He did not deposit the money into a city account covered by budget monitoring, but rather kept it in a cash box in his office. He left his superiors and those responsible for budgets within the administration unaware of this slush fund. All amounts were intended for unspecified purposes, but were not spent on financing the Ramadan market, which takes place once a year, or other integration work.

The majority of the processes have already expired

Almost all of these events had already expired when the public prosecutor’s investigation began. This only does not apply to a cash payout of 2,500 euros and another of 3,000 euros – both from July 2016. In its indictment, the public prosecutor’s office considers these to be two cases of breach of trust. The qualification as “particularly difficult” is because Müller acted as a public official. The city of Hamm suffered damage of 5,500 euros.

Because Müller had followed the same modus operandi in previous years (from 2011) and had picked up another 163,000 euros in cash and paid it into the slush fund, this money also had to be collected from him. This has become possible since a criminal law reform in 2017.

Müller’s criminal defense attorney announces her statement

Müller’s criminal defense attorney did not want to and could not make a statement on Thursday due to illness. However, she reserved the right to do so next week. If the case goes to trial and ends in a conviction, it could have significant consequences for Wolfgang Müller. A prison sentence of one year or more automatically results in the loss of civil service rights and pension rights. This also applies to suspended sentences of at least one year.

Müller has already been charged with aiding and abetting in the “Phantom” case

The city administration was informed of the charges on Wednesday via a so-called “Notice in Criminal Matters” (MiStra). City spokesman Detlef Burrichter confirmed this on Thursday when asked by wade. Müller was also involved because of the (now discontinued) complex surrounding the double leasing of an ex-hotel on Zollstrasse in Uentrop that was rented by the city to accommodate refugees, as well as because of the wade The uncovered phantom case became the focus of criminal investigators.

In the case of the “Phantom in the Town Hall”, which is also about breach of trust (funding of 210,000 euros that was not used for its intended purpose), charges were brought in June 2024. The main culprit here is Theo Hesse, the former head of the social affairs department at the city of Hamm. Müller and the project manager of the Southeast Europe project, who apparently had false addresses, are charged with aiding and abetting. Even almost six months after the indictment was filed, the hammer jury court has not yet decided whether to admit the indictment. There are currently still deadlines for defense lawyers to comment.

The city is considering further disciplinary measures against Müller

Müller, whose office was shattered when the Phantom case became known in May 2021, has since been released from conducting official business, is banned from entering the town hall – and still receives full salary to this day. The disciplinary proceedings against “the relevant employee of the city of Hamm” are still suspended in order not to prejudge the criminal proceedings, it was said from the town hall on Thursday. However, due to the “new findings” regarding the charges in the DRK complex, further disciplinary measures are now being examined. The Southeast European and DRK complexes would be considered together.