Overview

• Amtsgericht Darmstadt conditionally ended the secrecy proceedings under section 153a of the Criminal Procedure Code in return for a €1,000 payment to charity.
• The trial scheduled for August 12 was cancelled once councillor Paul Wandrey accepted the court’s monetary requirement.
• Prosecutors alleged that Wandrey disclosed a November 2023 surveillance video showing a fatal assault on a homeless man at Luisenplatz to media outlets.
• He said he acted in his official function by responding to media requests about Darmstadt’s video surveillance system.
• Mayor Hanno Benz publicly backed Wandrey after the indictment, highlighting sustained political support within the municipal administration.