Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
When former state president C. Wulff stood accused of having received benefits from a film producer known to him for several years, he argued: “Is a politician not entitled to have friends?” Before such background, the question of where to draw the line between social life of a public servant or politician and criminal behavior arises. Are such persons subject to permanent threat of criminal prosecution if they accept invitations etc., or is it their obligation to the general public to refrain from accepting donations from persons who have interests in their decisions, even if these persons are long known friends of the public servant?
1 See Leyendecker, Hans, 21 Nichtigkeiten, Süddeutsche Zeitung Mag. 21 (Apr. 8, 2013).Google Scholar
2 See id. Google Scholar
3 Landgericht [LG] [Regional Court of Hannover], Reference number 40 KLs 6/13 (Feb. 27, 2014), https://openjur.de/u/750690.html.Google Scholar
4 Strafgesetzbuch [StGB] [Penal Code] § 331 (2015).Google Scholar
5 LG, Reference number 40 KLs 6/13, at paras. 1–3.Google Scholar
6 Id. at recital 207.Google Scholar
7 Id. at recital 268 f.Google Scholar
8 Id. Google Scholar
9 See Kriele, Martin, The Power of the Media, 45 Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik 53, 55 (2012).Google Scholar
10 Interview with Heribert Prantl (Deutschlandfunk, Dec. 20, 2013) (“Wulff derserves an acquittal.”).Google Scholar
11 See the press report about the presentation of his book “Ganz oben Ganz unten”, available at Beck-online: becklink 1032955.Google Scholar
12 See Otto, Harro, Grundkurs Strafrecht, § 1 margin number 66 (7th ed. 2004).Google Scholar
13 Strafgesetzbuch [StGB] [Penal Code] §§ 331, 333 (2015).Google Scholar
14 See Jörg Eisele in: Adolf Schönke/Horst Schröder, Strafgesetzbuch, preliminary remarks to § 13, margin number 69 f. (29th ed. 2014).Google Scholar
15 See Gift of Students Accepted: Teacher Has to Pay 4,000 Euro Fine, SPIEGEL Online (Jan. 7, 2015) [hereinafter Gift of Students], www.spiegel.de/schulspiegel/berlin-lehrerin-unter-korruptionsverdacht-wegen-skulptur; Strafprozessordnung [StPO] [Code of Criminal Procedure] § 153(a).Google Scholar
16 Gift of Students, supra note 15, at 1.Google Scholar
17 See Hans Herbert von Arnim, Acceptance of benefits by the former Minister President of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff?, 31 New Journal for Administrative Law (NVwZ) 141 (2012); Hans Herbert von Arnim, Warum der Bundespräsident nicht zurücktreten kann, 31 New Journal for Administrative Law (NVwZ-Extra), 1, 2 (2012), http://rsw.beck.de/rsw/upload/NVwZ/NVwZ-Extra_2012_03.pdf.Google Scholar
18 Strafgesetzbuch [StGB] [Penal Code] §§ 331, 333.Google Scholar
19 Landgericht [LG] [Regional Court of Hannover], Reference number 40 KLs 6/13, recital 268 (Feb. 27, 2014), https://openjur.de/u/750690.html.Google Scholar
20 Strafgesetzbuch [StGB] [Penal Code] § 331.Google Scholar
21 See Bundesgerichtshof [BGH] [Federal Court of Justice] May 11, 2001, Entscheidungen des Bundesgerichtshofes in Strafsachen [BGHSt] 47, pp. 22, 25; Thomas Fischer, Strafgesetzbuch, § 331, annotation 2 (63nd ed. 2015).Google Scholar
22 See Hans Herbert von Arnim, Acceptance of benefits by the former Minister President of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff?, supra note 17.Google Scholar
23 Strafprozessordnung [StPO] [Code of Criminal Procedure] § 170.Google Scholar
24 Id. at §§ 153, 153(a).Google Scholar
25 Remark attributed to Pope Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici (“Leo X,” 1475–1521).Google Scholar
26 See the “Claassen-case”: Bundesgerichtshof [BGH] [Federal Court of Justice], Oct. 14, 2008, Neue Juristische Wochenschrift [NJW] 2008, 3580.Google Scholar
27 See Personal Loans: Wulff Resists Deception Allegation, Spiegel Online (Dec. 13, 2011), http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/privatkredit-wulff-wehrt-sich-gegen-taeuschungsvorwurf-a-803353.html.Google Scholar
You have
Access
