26th Day of the Trial Against Michael Ballweg – Witness Testimonies on Financial Support for the Protest Movement

Financial Contributions for Various Activities

Today's proceedings focused on four individuals who were active in the protest movement and received financial support from Michael Ballweg:

• First witness: A lawyer and co-founder of Anwälte für Aufklärung (Lawyers for Enlightenment) received €2,000 for her work on judicial review proceedings.
• Second witness: An activist from Leipzig received €188 to fund a trip to Warsaw to network with the Corona-critical movement.
• Third witness: The financial manager of Ruf der Trommeln (Call of the Drums) received €10,000 for organizing protest marches that ended at Querdenken rallies.
• Fourth witness: A software developer received €2,000 for providing Telegram bots to manage Querdenken groups.

The questioning lasted only a few minutes, as no contradictions or open questions arose. The prosecution posed only a single question and largely refrained from further inquiries.

Defense Sees No Evidence of a Crime

Attorney Dr. Reinhard Löffler considered the day unproductive for the prosecution: "In summary, today’s session had the substance of a bowl of thin soup. Not a single point from the witness statements supports the charges."

The court also showed little interest in further questioning.

Legal Discussion Scheduled for the Following Day

Initially, additional witness testimonies were planned for the next trial session. However, the court unexpectedly announced that these would be canceled due to illness among the panel. Instead, a legal discussion between the prosecution, the court, and the defense will take place.

The purpose of this discussion is to determine how the proceedings will continue. Michael Ballweg will not participate. The defense anticipates that a key question will be whether the trial will continue or be dismissed.

"I am curious to hear what the court proposes. The basis for the charges weakens with each passing day." – Dr. Reinhard Löffler

The public will likely be informed of the results of this discussion at the next scheduled court session on March 17, 2025.

Next Steps: Witness Testimonies on March 17, 2025

The trial will resume on March 17, 2025, with additional witness testimonies. Once again, individuals who received financial support from Michael Ballweg will be called to testify. The defense does not expect any new incriminating evidence.