TRIAL OF REINER FUELLMICH. DAY 3 IN DETAIL. FROM JIOTA OF ICIC. TRANSLATED BY SISSI. Teamwork!!!

Jiota has brought us an excellent detailed presentation of Days 1 and 2. Now here is Day 3.

Dr. Reiner Füllmich - The process. A report by Jiota. Copyright Jiota for ICIC Law News.
jiota@icic.law

Day 3, Göttingen, 07.02.2024.

This is a report of my personal impressions and feelings. I have reproduced what I heard at the meetings as I personally understood it, and I make no claim to know all the context and legal details or the whole truth. This report must not be taken out of context.

How quickly time has passed. Today is the third day of the trial in the Dr. Reiner Füllmich case at Göttingen Regional Court. It's just after nine, and the trial starts at a quarter past. I'm in a hurry because I'm still looking for a parking space. On the one hand, it's good to see that more spectators have come here today to attend the questioning of the main witnesses for the prosecution, Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer. On the other hand, it's unpleasant when I'm late for the trial because I haven't thought about it. Besides, it's still cold here in Göttingen and I ask myself, will it ever get warm in this city?

I finally find what I'm looking for, take a parking ticket, rush to the courthouse and head for the side entrance. I am delighted that so many people are actually waiting outside the entrance and I quickly scurry through the line. The court team and I already seem to be a well-rehearsed team, everything runs twice as fast as the days before. There’s a running gag about dog treats and that makes for a relaxed, knowing smile. Don't stress, slow down, says one of the court officials. That helps and I breathe a sigh of relief. It's interesting how animals always manage to build bridges between people, even when they're not present. We humans can learn a thing or two from this ability, I think to myself,  before I enter the packed courtroom and take my seat. I let my gaze wander and see the two accusers in their gowns sitting at opposite tables, between public prosecutor John and Viviane Fischer, who is sitting at the far left end. She's not wearing a gown, but a floral dress and gumboots. Well, not my favorite footwear, not even when it's raining, but it doesn't matter. And at least it gives a splash of color among the black-clad robe wearers. I soon find out why she is sitting there that day.

Dr. Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer try to look relaxed. I can see Hoffmann's face twitching nervously, and I think I can also detect some nervousness in Viviane Fischer. She has taken the precaution of placing a lot of paper on the table in front of her to take notes. Antonia Fischer is stoically busy writing something down, inconspicuous as ever, while Hoffmann, sitting particularly upright, looks towards the still empty seats in the chamber and the door through which the three judges and the two lay assessors will enter. He tries not to keep staring at the side door through which the defendant will be led in. You can tell he can hardly wait.

The time has come, the chamber enters, everyone rises and the presiding judge, Judge Schindler, asks people to be seated. I make a firm resolution not to be distracted and to watch the faces of the three of them as Dr. Füllmich is brought into the courtroom, handcuffed again, of course. The first thing I notice is what I believe to be a genuine moment of horror on Viviane Fischer's face. She looks at Füllmich, closes her eyes briefly and looks to the side with slightly raised eyebrows, shaking her head as if she can't believe it. The corners of Antonia Fischer's mouth twitch, she doesn't seem at all horrified, she looks cold. And Justus Hoffmann has a carefully restrained, triumphant and almost invisible grin on his bearded face. Only briefly. But as I keep my eyes firmly fixed on all three of them, especially him, I think I've noticed it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how the play of his facial expressions appeared to me as an observer.

Attorney Katja Wörmer asks the presiding judge why Viviane Fischer is already present although her application as joint plaintiff has not yet been decided. She could now take advantage of being able to hear everything that is said and what other witnesses say in advance, although she herself still has to be heard as a witness. The presiding judge explained that she had allowed herself to be assigned as an adhesion plaintiff at short notice, that this was possible within the legal framework and that the chamber should therefore also take this circumstance into account. She applies for the main hearing to be suspended due to the overload of the defense under these new conditions of a third adhesion plaintiff in the proceedings. However, this is only recorded in the minutes.

The questioning of Dr. Justus Hoffmann begins. The presiding judge calls him up and to the front of the witness stand. He takes off his robe and it seems a little as if he is taking off his protective armor. Because as he steps up to the small table in the middle of the courtroom with his file folder in his hand and takes a seat on the chair, I realize that the slim, young man in a martial arts outfit with a black belt that I remember from pictures and recordings of the past has changed quite a bit. And yet it is the same person who is now sitting in front of the chamber with his broad back turned towards us. The chairman asks for his details. Age 37, admitted to the bar in 2019. He begins to tell us how he and Reiner Füllmich met. That was in 2016. He had completed a traineeship with Antonia Fischer at the law firm and his doctoral supervisor was Prof. Dr. Martin Schwab. He had made contact with a woman who was looking for a new lawyer in Göttingen and Antonia Fischer had taken on the case. This client had been contacted by Dr. Füllmich for the purpose of an exchange. They had met for the first time and had immediately been on the same wavelength and liked each other. During this conversation, Dr. Füllmich said that he still had something to settle with the chairman of the court and would like to see him again. Hoffmann leaves open what exactly he means by this. He simply leaves it open.

I am making a meticulous note of this, as it seems strange to me as a legal layman to say something like this in front of a court that is also based in Göttingen, as it has nothing to do with the case and it seems to me that Hoffmann wants to influence the chamber negatively. After all, it must have been a fellow judge, if it is true and you put one and one together.

They had discussed the case in personal meetings and had been on good terms. The client had also been present and Dr. Füllmich had expressed the wish to meet his, Hoffmann's, doctoral supervisor, Professor Schwab. He had completed his dissertation with him, which was awarded the highest distinction of Summa Cum Laude, as he himself proudly announced in Facebook posts. Hoffmann goes on to jovially explain that he and Antonia Fischer had tackled a number of projects when Füllmich suggested in 2017 that they could join Transparency. The chairman was unpleasant, but together they could take over. So all of them, Hoffmann, Antonia Fischer, Schwab and Füllmich, met and then worked together in the Justice Working Group. It was here that Hoffmann heard about the Kühne + Nagel and Deutsche Bank cases and about collective legal protection. This led to contact with Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg and ultimately Dr. Füllmich was elected head of the Justice Working Group. The first conflicts with the outgoing chairman of the AG then arose, who sent cease and desist orders. However, these did not have the desired effect. And board member Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg then got more and more involved. The quartet, Prof. Dr. Martin Schwab, Dr. Justus Hoffmann, Antonia Fischer and Dr. Reiner Füllmich were then sued by the same lawyer. The lawsuits were dismissed and have been pending appeal ever since. Hoffmann then goes on to explain why his comments are so important.

Firstly, he wanted to show that they had known each other for some time. Secondly, Dr. Füllmich would have wanted this response from him, Hoffmann. Füllmich would then have edited the pleadings and sent them out. Hoffmann does not forget to mention the following, apparently this is very important to him. Quote: "He must have really liked what I wrote." Then, in 2017 and 2018, they met with other lawyers to discuss whether model lawsuits etc. could be constructed and whether an association should be founded for this purpose. The atmosphere has been good so far.

He went on to say that Füllmich had always reported on the Kühne + Nage case, how the authorized signatory of the plaintiff company had turned up with a suitcase filled with one million Euros and had offered a success fee of four million Euros if the case was successful. Füllmich said that he was on Deutsche Bank's hit list because he had also sued the bank and his funds had been frozen. He also said that he still owed his ex-wife money from the divorce proceedings. From his, Hoffmann's, point of view, all of this was a relevant history. He himself had completed his dissertation on 15.05.2019 and then held a half-time paid position at the university. From August 2019, he had worked as a salaried lawyer at an American law firm on Ku'damm, which dealt with the diesel emissions scandal.

At the end of 2019, he heard the first reports from China regarding a new type of coronavirus. Dr. Füllmich had contacted him at the beginning of 2020 and asked him to revise the statement of claim regarding his wife's diesel vehicle, as he, Hoffmann, was particularly entrusted with this matter. He, Hoffmann, then revised the statement of claim and had to emphasize again, quote: "Reiner Füllmich was very satisfied with it, and that's how you would do it among friends and colleagues. Then the conversation turns to his colleague Marcel Templin. He was his and Antonia Fischer's law firm partner and had contacted him, Hoffmann, by email when the story about the corona measures began. Something had to be done and they were a good team to do something about it. When the situation eased in the summer of 2020, Dr. Füllmich called Antonia Fischer and reported that Dr. Wodarg had told him that he had contacted a Berlin lawyer named Viviane Fischer. She had launched an online petition to obtain a baseline study on the corona figures. She was a bit strange, Wodarg said, but they should meet with her.

Viviane Fischer looks puzzled by this statement and shakes her head in astonishment and disbelief. They then met at her law firm and Viviane Fischer, Tobias Weissenborn - a freelancer at the Füllmich law firm, author's note - Reiner Füllmich, Justus Hoffmann and Professor Homburg were present. They had the idea of setting up a coronavirus committee and going public with it. Dr. Wodarg only wanted to provide support as a scientific advisor, as did Professor Schwab, who also only wanted to act in an advisory capacity. The well-known press conference then took place. They then thought about how the whole thing could be legally structured. A foundation had been considered, but this turned out to be too complicated. Viviane Fischer is therefore said to have suggested setting up a company with joint shareholder representation and a sensible form of limited liability. It was very important for her to obtain non-profit status so as not to make herself vulnerable to external attacks with regard to appeals for donations from the public.

He himself was ambivalent about all of this. He wouldn't have been for or against it. It just looked strange to him that lawyers were collecting donations. Viviane Fischer then made an appointment with the notary and the contract was signed. Reiner Füllmich was not present in person, but was connected by telephone, and Hoffmann had received a power of attorney from Füllmich. Viviane Fischer should have taken care of registering everything officially. Hoffmann goes on to say that the response was not expected to be so great. Quote: "We assumed eight weeks.

In addition, it should have been clarified who would handle the donation account, Hoffmann continued. He made himself available. He thought, quote: "Keeping an Excel list can't be that difficult. However, Reiner Füllmich is said to have suggested Jens Kuhn, his accountant, and said: Let my law firm do it, then everything will be fine. Hoffmann ultimately agreed to this. The donations did not play a major role for Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer. They also had no idea how many donations would come in. Antonia Fischer, Marcel Templin and he, Justus Hoffmann, had worked very hard. They weren't really interested in it. Hoffmann goes on to talk about how his job at the law firm came to an end and suddenly there was a great need for legal advice. So he went into self-employment. The meetings also took up a lot of his time. The atmosphere was good and they also held many Zoom meetings with each other. He himself wrote many text modules for written pleadings. Professor Schwab also contributed a lot. On Dr. Füllmich's initiative, the suggestion was made to consider merging law firms in order to better bundle forces. This joint law firm was to consist of Antonia Fischer, Justus Hoffmann, Marcel Templin, Professor Martin Schwab and the Füllmich law firm. However, this was abandoned because Füllmich insisted on taking Viviane Fischer on board.

Hoffmann now turns his attention to his colleague Viviane Fischer, who eagerly takes notes. Quote: Viviane Fischer is a walking liability risk, says Hoffmann. Fischer pauses and looks around in amazement and disbelief. He continues and refers to a medical interview with Antonia Fischer, which Viviane Fischer is said to have made up. This was very bad for Antonia Fischer's reputation. Viviane Fischer would also have been against accepting mandates for money. Hoffmann quote: "It was not possible to work with her."

He mentions the cassation judgment from Lisbon and that he had suggested having this translated and made available. This was also done. Beyond that, there were no other points of contact. The turning point came at the end of December 2020. After a coronavirus committee meeting, there was a discussion about how to proceed. They had been recognized on the street and had reached the limits of their resilience. The work had become too much and the public appearance had led to an increased number of mandates. This was discussed at the Italian restaurant between Reiner Füllmich, Viviane Fischer, Robert Cibis from Oval Media, Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann. The mass of e-mails was very difficult to handle. They would have had to do the work for free on top of their own new project called Mask Force, which would normally have required two to three people. Quote: We said, that's not possible. The question was also asked, quote: Is it not possible to hire someone to process the emails at the expense of the Corona Committee? This was rejected by Viviane Fischer and Dr. Füllmich with the argument that this was their, Hoffmann's and Antonia Fischer's personal matter. He and Antonia Fischer were no longer able to answer the many, many emails themselves.

In August 2021, Marcel Templin asked Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann what the status of the company was, whether it had been registered in the meantime, what was going on and what the status of its non-profit status was. If the company was not registered, then it would have the status of a GbR and therefore a quarter of the income, the donations, would be taxable for each of the partners. Dr. Füllmich was called and asked how much money had come in. Füllmich responded cautiously and said that 800,000 euros was the last amount he had and that there was still some money in gold. If Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer had further questions and needed more information, Füllmich referred them to Jens Kuhn. When asked, he said that he would only provide all information via Dr. Füllmich. Hoffmann replied that this was the first time he had heard about gold and what was going on. Jens Kuhn replied that they should ask Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich and talk to each other. Then Viviane Fischer was contacted directly. She replied, quote: "Contact Jens Kuhn. She also said that she no longer wanted to have any contact with Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer. Hoffmann goes on to say that his thought was: "Something is wrong here. We are also shareholders and managing directors." They had spoken to Professor Martin Schwab about this and he had also said that he found this overall behavior strange.

Hoffmann now turns to another topic. In his and Antonia Fischer's opinion, things had taken place in the Corona Committee that neither of them approved of. The Corona Committee should not have been politically active. Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich had misused the Corona Committee as an election campaign platform for friends from the grassroots who wanted to become party leaders. He speaks of controlled opposition. The simulation game that was carried out and shown in the Corona Committee would also have been very unpleasant, even downright ridiculous. There would have been people who would have believed what was happening. The assistant, Corvin Rabenstein, would also have been standing on the mat. People had asked about the guests, but no more information had been forthcoming. His own workload was far too high and he was no longer able to attend the meetings.

Hoffmann says he wondered how Füllmich had done it all: Corona committee, law firm, the party Die Basis, class action lawsuit and then chairman of the party. There were a lot of question marks and Antonia Fischer and he were in agreement: Until the matter with the finances is clarified, quote: "Then we won't be on the committee." Justus Hoffmann, Antonia Fischer, Marcel Templin, Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich met again at the end of August 2021. Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich had both arrived in a charged mood. Antonia Fischer and he had received many mandates through the Corona Committee and without the Corona Committee they would not have had these mandates. Quote: "So we told Viviane Fischer that we could hire a paralegal to provide support.

Hoffmann was of the opinion that Füllmich's style of expression was undermining the Corona Committee. Füllmich then shouted at Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann. Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann still knew nothing. He had said to Füllmich, quote: "Your ass is hanging out the furthest in front, we are vulnerable under tax law." Füllmich had agreed to this and they had been promised that documents would be sent to them. But nothing happened.

Professor Schwab had a chair for corporate law and they then met the tax consultant Jörn Böttcher. The tax consultant said, quote: "This will be a very big problem for you. The tax office will assess you. Income tax on money you never received." Hoffmann quotes the tax consultant.

They were all in Berlin at the beginning of September 2021 and wanted to meet up. Antonia Fischer, Justus Hoffmann, Marcel Templin and tax consultant Böttcher had met at a party on September 3, 2021. Hoffmann had asked Professor Schwab what they should do, there was no communication with Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich. They needed the documents, otherwise they would have to sue both of them. The right to information was there, the tax consultant and Professor Schwab had wanted to mediate. The tax consultant was from the regional association Die Basis Hamburg and they had asked him to contact Reiner for them via Die Basis. The phone call was unsuccessful. They had assumed that Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich had reservations about Böttcher, because Jörn Böttcher would have been an arch-enemy of the two from Die Basis. Reiner Füllmich confirmed this and briefly explained that Viviane Fischer and he had been asked for help by several female grassroots members from the Hamburg regional association because they had had problems with Böttcher and that he and Viviane Fischer had personally gone there as chairpersons to settle the dispute.

There would have been two or three Zoom conferences with Professor Martin Schwab. There was also a meeting on 09.10.2021. Viviane Fischer was not there, however, as she had a problem with her mother's house in France and had to travel there.

I briefly remember that she had attended some Corona Committee meetings from abroad.

Professor Schwab had been invited to a question and answer session on company law and tax law and there was a good atmosphere. Professor Schwab explained the problems in great detail. There was a danger that could arise. Viviane Fischer and Jens Kuhn, the accountant, had to be asked. Nobody knew at the time whether the company was registered or not. Antonia Fischer had asked: "That's your account, isn't it?" And Füllmich had replied that it was sufficient. Several accounts had already been terminated, but we shouldn't worry, Hoffmann continued.

Jens Kuhn had built up reserves to rule out any liability problems. A tax consultant friend of his had looked into this. Böttcher wanted to contact this tax consultant. It was all Viviane Fischer's responsibility and it was up to her,  and Reiner Füllmich wanted to talk to her. Then Hoffmann and Antonia were told that it was about their tax consultant Jörn Böttcher. Füllmich would see with Viviane Fischer how it could be done so that Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer could get the documents.

Justus Hoffmann continues, quote: "And again, exactly nothing happened." New Zoom conferences were held with Professor Schwab, Reiner Füllmich, Viviane Fischer, Antonia Fischer and himself. Again, no documents were disclosed. Viviane Fischer's reasons for this were, firstly, that the person who does the IT for the Corona Committee, whose identity should be kept secret because of concerns about cyberattacks. Secondly, certain incoming payments would also be included and if they became public, too many questions would be asked. Thirdly, Jörn Böttcher is an enemy from the grassroots, he would not be given any information because they didn't trust him.

Hoffmann says that Füllmich's face turned into a hateful grimace. Then he said they could just leave it here and now. Then Viviane and he would do their own thing and the bomb would be dropped, leaving a pile of rubble for Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann.

In the end, we were promised that we would receive some documents after all, thanks to Jens Kuhn's well-known tax consultant. Quote: "At least we got something, an Excel list for 2020 with figures. 70,000 euros went to the Füllmich law firm, and there was also an external custody account with money in it." All of this had triggered a complex emotional situation for Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer, they had no idea what the money was being paid for. Justus Hoffmann, quote: "We got scared." He doesn't say what of exactly.  It had become apparent, quote: "That something was very wrong." Amounts had been shifted around, people had thought, quote: "What about 2021, what's in store for us in terms of tax law?" He had spoken to everyone in and around the Corona Committee on the phone, including Wolfgang Wodarg, for two hours. The result was: Don't destroy the Corona Committee. Professor Schwab should be given access rights. His view was also that it would be stupid if the Corona Committee were to be broken. Carina Reis said it would be a shame for the Corona Committee. Professor Bhakdi: Come to an agreement, it's only just about money. The manager Corvin Rabenstein would have been on the side of Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich, in his, Hoffmann's, opinion.

Justus Hoffmann thinks it was all laid on too thick. Quote: People who stand up for justice do that? They were left with debts. Nothing was done until the end of 2021. Then there had been a company meeting and Antonia Fischer and Justus Hoffmann should have stepped down as managing directors. Quote: We are giving up control? We have to get out of this company without being harmed. Professor Martin Schwab, as a neutral person, should take a look at the accounts. Quote: "It was suggested that Martin Schwab should get the money. We use it to pay the tax office, the tax." That had been a single attempt. Justus Hoffmann assumes on Professor Schwab's behalf that he would have been astonished if the proposal had been accepted.

Oh, I think to myself, now he's speaking for his doctoral supervisor Professor Schwab? Strange.

A company meeting was held in the offices of notary Michelsburg. Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer brought their tax consultant Jörn Böttcher with them. Quote: "We wanted to take away the shares and brought Böttcher with us. That had struck like lightning.

Füllmich interjects: Why did you bring Böttcher along at all? You were there in person, so he didn't need to represent you, and he's not even a partner. Hoffmann replies: You could have brought your own.

Nothing bad was intended for Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich. However, the problem was that the tax consultant was aware of the internal problems at the base. However, no agreement was reached at the company meeting. There was no resolution that day. And no registration. Füllmich asks: Why did you prevent the registration back then?

The notary was not present 90 percent of the time. He would have wanted to mediate in the end. There were no resolutions at the company meeting. There had only been a promise to receive the account documents, including contact with the Corona Committee's tax advisor. However, the documents had still not arrived. Antonia Fischer could explain everything much better anyway.

Justus Hoffmann explains, quote: "At best, we have misjudged the situation.

Now he's talking about possibly misjudging the situation? Until now, I thought there were detailed tax debts.

Hoffmann continues, quote: "We are being taken for a ride here. What is the reason for this? At the company meeting, he said, quote: "If something has happened with this money that shouldn't have happened, now is the right time to say so and find a solution." Justus Hoffmann continued, quote: "We were through, we knew nothing. If we wait until this situation implodes on its own, then we can do something before then. And in 2022, we did something.

He reports that Justus Hoffmann's phone rang at 11 p.m. in August 2022. Also for Antonia Fischer. It was Viviane Fischer. She texted them both the day after next. They replied to her and asked if there was anything important. Viviane Fischer replied, quote: "I just wanted to ask how you're doing. Your law firm doesn't exist at the moment." Hoffmann explains that this was also a rumor that Füllmich had spread.

I'm briefly taken aback, because I remember that they themselves had stated on their Telegram channel on August 1, 2022 that the law firm was currently closed and would not be working at the moment.

Hoffmann's comments continue. In the course of 2022, some people had contacted them to say that the mood was not good at the committee's production. They knew that there had been gold in Göttingen. Viviane Fischer and Robert Cibis had picked it up there and taken it somewhere. Hoffmann quote: "We were not surprised."

A week later, Viviane Fischer contacted her and wanted to talk. They then met in the new studio rooms of the Corona Committee on Zillestrasse. Viviane Fischer was expecting Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer with her lawyer. Viviane Fischer asked several questions. Firstly, how well do you actually know Reiner Füllmich? She had reported that the Corona Committee had de facto run out of money because of the payments to the law firm and because of the 700,000 euro loan in the value store. Reiner Füllmich would refuse to repay this. She herself had already repaid a large part of her loan. Reiner Füllmich had bought gold in his own name and for his own account and then stored it in a black bag in the attic of a friend's house in Göttingen. Füllmich had wanted to take the gold out of the country or put it aside. Viviane Fischer had turned up at the house in the middle of the night with Robert Cibis, picked up the gold and handed it in to Jens Kuhn. Justus Hoffmann continues suggestively. Quote: If Viviane Fischer hadn't reacted in time, who knows what would have happened to the gold. Later, the gold was stored at Degussa in Viviane Fischer's and Reiner Füllmich's name, where it still is today.

 Viviane Fischer described the situation as follows. Füllmich had wanted to sell his house and go abroad. Quote: "We were shocked by the extent of it. But we were no longer really shocked, said Hoffmann. All donations in the broadest sense were no longer spent on the Corona Committee's work, but on other things. He does not get specific. But he should know if he says that, I think, and continue writing.

The matter would now be made public, and rightly so in his opinion. Quote: "We were at the end of our tether. That's why we wrote the criminal complaint, especially because Reiner Füllmich wanted to sell his house. What did he intend to do?"

The shareholders' meeting on October 5, 2022, at which Füllmich was represented by his lawyer Tobias Weißenborn, is mentioned again. A resolution was passed there to withdraw Reiner Füllmich's shares. They were also presented with the story that their tax advisor Jörn Böttcher was a Freemason and that he was behind everything. They asked again when this loan would be repaid and adhered to the decision to withdraw voting rights.

An attempt was then made to speak to Reiner Füllmich by email via Tobias Weissenborn in December 2022. It was made clear that a large part of the responsibility would lie with Viviane Fischer. They wanted to talk to her at a Christmas party organized by a business association in order to reach an amicable agreement. The settlement proposal would have been to keep 700,000 in loans. Quote: You can have the gold. Justus Hoffmann explains, quote: "You can't communicate at that level. He simply doesn't want to pay back the money. We said: You are not in a position to make demands. Hoffmann ends his remarks. The chairman asks about the current status of the company. Hoffmann replied that Viviane Fischer had also been removed as managing director. She was no longer acceptable and had no external representation. Only Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer are now managing directors. Hoffmann had also been aware of the account problems with Professor Hockertz and Professor Bhakdi. He asked whether they had not asked what the external custody account on the list was all about. Justus Hoffmann replies: No, we didn't. He continues vaguely that it had been seen, but it could be that perhaps ... He slides back and forth in his chair and can't give an exact answer. I automatically think that the interest in the figures doesn't seem to have been that great after all. The Vorschalt-UG has still not been registered. What are the reasons for this? Hoffmann: Viviane Fischer would have taken care of it, she said. The notary and the tax office had taken so long to check. Why didn't you go ahead with the registration yourself? Hoffmann: I don't know that either.

I think about it for a moment. But Viviane Fischer definitely obtained non-profit status for her new society very quickly. What was different about the educational work of the other societies? Now we come to the political activities of Reiner Füllmich and Viviane Fischer in the party die Basis. Hoffmann says that the Corona Committee should never have been politically active. He and Antonia Fischer did not agree to this either. The tax office would also have prevented this because no political work should have been carried out. Dr. Füllmich briefly interjects: Where does it say in the statutes that you're not allowed to do that? Hoffmann continues and says that Dr. Wodarg told Justus Hoffmann, after everything had come out, that he had once spoken to Dr. Füllmich at a meeting in 2018 and that Füllmich had told Wodarg that things were not going well at his law firm. Addressing Viviane Fischer, he said that there had still been no payments, no legal action and all settlement proposals had been unsuccessful.

This is followed by questions from the Chamber. A passage from a shareholders' meeting is shown on the screen. These are the minutes of the shareholders' meeting of October 5, 2022, at which Dr. Füllmich was excluded from the company. Among other things, it is also about a right of retention that his representative, lawyer Weißenborn, who was present on his behalf, had expressed with regard to Hoffmann's previous statements that Dr. Füllmich had to pay all tax obligations.

This right of retention would have been mentioned only and exclusively until any tax debts were settled and only for this case, and would have had nothing to do with Füllmich's refusal to repay the loan, Füllmich explains. He was still accused of not wanting to repay the loan, which his legal representative rejected.

Viviane Fischer points out that the minutes are not complete and that passages are missing and that she remembers an audio recording. Dr. Füllmich also believes that the minutes are not complete. These statements are denied by Antonia Fischer. Everything is complete, there is no audio recording.

Hoffmann stumbles when answering the questions and also claims that the minutes are complete as they stand.

He goes on to say that they had feared and were afraid that Reiner Füllmich might publicly incite violence against them, Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer, if he found out that they were the ones filing the charges. People were fanatically following Reiner Füllmich, the supporters from the Corona Committee and those from the grassroots. Justus Hoffmann adds, quote: Reiner Füllmich and Viviane Fischer have brought themselves to the top of the grassroots using Stasi methods. The audience is outraged and an indignant murmur spreads. The chairman asks for moderation. I pause for a moment, outraged myself by this callousness and it takes my breath away. Has Justus Hoffmann just insulted the auditorium? Viviane Fischer also looks astonished, indignant and mumbles something, shaking her head.

Was Hoffmann trying to prove his words to the chamber by provoking indignation in the auditorium? That radical people were sitting here? Fortunately, most of the audience remained calm and it quickly became quiet again in the chamber after the chairman threatened to impose a fine in the chamber for the first time in his time as chairman.

What a production, I think, and concentrate on Hoffmann's comments again.

All of this had been brought to him and Antonia Fischer, Hoffmann continued. He had been told that he and Antonia Fischer had been defamed behind their backs by Reiner Füllmich. Quote: "What Füllmich is doing is using disgusting methods of disintegration. He uses them.

It's break time. At last. In my opinion, only half of Justus Hoffmann's hour-long, rambling, sometimes provocatively callous talk contains important information on the matter at hand. He even manages to describe the notary's premises at length, including many personal and emotional moments of his time with Viviana Fischer and Reiner Füllmich. The way he talks and his gestures make me think of someone who wants to appear serious, well-read and respectable by all means. He has never seemed authentic to me, rather artificial and very concerned with his appearance. I don't trust him and I don't believe him to be a conscientious partner. I still remember too well the show 125, "An Inconvenient Truth", or "Five against One", which was broadcast on October 7, 2022. By then, he and Antonia Fischer had long since filed the criminal complaint and sat down with Viviane Fischer at the famous table, the filming of which is so expensive, in order to pour out buckets of allegations and accusations on a person who was not present in addition to the criminal complaint. Disgusting and corrosive for my taste and exactly the way he accused Dr. Füllmich of acting. Projection?

And Viviane Fischer, who claims to have known nothing about a criminal complaint at the time and to have been clueless. After all, she had contacted the two port lawyers again after her public Füllmich execution live on 02.09.2022. The saying comes to mind: The enemy of my enemy is my friend, regardless of whether he was my enemy before or will perhaps become my enemy again. Who really knows. It's all very negative and exhausting.

Three quarters of an hour have passed and we continue. This time, some of the people who didn't get a seat in the morning are allowed in. But it's very courteous and considerate of Füllmich's radicalized supporters to let their fellow human beings go first and forego the second part themselves so that the others can also get something.

Does Justus Hoffmann really not understand that you can make yourself unpopular with people through your own behavior and appearance and that there doesn't have to be any influence from third parties because you yourself are very good at making yourself look unappealing? Never mind. Maybe he'll understand at some point. Hope dies last.

The hearing of the main witness for the prosecution, Dr. Justus Hoffmann, now continues. Viviane Fischer would like to ask two questions at the beginning and notes once again that the minutes of the shareholders' meeting of October 5, 2022 submitted for the file are based on a tape recording. In her opinion, the previously shown excerpt of the minutes was missing passages that could be relevant. Antonia Fischer, quote: No, the minutes are complete in the file. Viviane Fischer, quote: There is said to have been knowledge and suspicion that money had gone from the committee to the grassroots. What were these findings? And why are they no longer relevant? Justus Hoffmann: That was a suspicion. That may have been the triggering moment. Viviane Fischer: There was an alleged threat by Robert Cibis from Oval Media that there would be an exposé film. She asks Hoffmann directly: Do you stand by this statement? Justus Hoffmann: That's what I heard. But it would have been Viviane Fischer herself who threatened that. Professor Martin Schwab would have told him that.

Reiner Füllmich asks: Could it be that your formal legal position as a shareholder of Vorschalt-UG is now being used by you to get the donation money? Justus Hoffmann: No. Reiner Füllmich: Then why an adhesion procedure? Justus Hoffmann: Because you have to pay back the loans. Reiner Füllmich: Perhaps in anticipation of what will come from us? And further: So we didn't get to know each other through Martin Schwab via Watch the Court? Justus Hoffmann: No.

Füllmich explained that the law firm Hafenanwälte had only existed since 2020, was unknown and Hoffmann had only been licensed since 2019. Until then, the cases handled had mainly been examination appeal proceedings.

Justus Hoffmann says again that there was a, quote, cult of leadership around Reiner Füllmich. Further, quote: "We were not treated with the necessary respect by him, i.e. by Dr. Füllmich. When Füllmich asked Hoffmann why the part of the shareholders' agreement stating that all four shareholders were authorized to represent the company alone had not been attached to the criminal complaint, Hoffmann explained succinctly, quote: "Mistakes happen.

Dr. Füllmich explained that Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer had submitted a settlement agreement. According to this, half of the donation money would be demanded as well as all tangible and intangible assets. Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich are therefore third-party debtors and the Corona Committee is the debtor. Füllmich speaks of blackmail.

Very often Hoffmann answers during the questioning by Dr. Füllmich: "What is the question now?" Or: "I don't understand the question." Or: "Get to the point."

When questioned further about the tax assessment, Hoffmann admits that he has never seen it himself. He would have to ask his tax advisor about it. Dr. Füllmich asks that the notice in question be attached to the file.

Now Justus Hoffmann takes another swipe at Dr. Füllmich. Hoffmann accuses Füllmich of making openly anti-Semitic statements, which the latter rejects. You can make a lot of claims when the day is long. What did I say? Hoffmann: Who has been convicted of incitement to hatred? Füllmich: That was a default judgment. The objection deadline was not met and no judgment was made in the case. Your complaint says that I insulted your ethnic origin. I don't know your ethnic origin at all. What is your ethnic origin? Hoffmann: You know that very well. Füllmich: No. What is it? Hoffmann: I'm of Ashkenazi descent, and looks wildly theatrically in Füllmich's direction. He replies: What's that, Ashkenazi? Hoffmann says that Viviane Fischer also knows that. She answers and says: Yes, but he didn't tell me until much later. The chairman calls the meeting to order and refrains from shouting. The matter should continue.

Hoffmann continues. Reiner Füllmich had dishonest intentions. There are also said to have been payments from the Corona Committee to the grassroots. Viviane Fischer looks openly astonished at this statement and shakes her head. Hoffmann: Quote: You can place him in the milieu of the lateral thinker scene. There is radicalization, threats and violence. Dr. Füllmich immediately asks: What radicalization?

Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer felt threatened by the grassroots, by members of the grassroots who had become radicalized by the influence of Reiner Füllmich.

He does not say how these people expressed this or how Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer were threatened and by whom specifically. Hoffmann goes on to say that Füllmich used the Corona Committee as a platform for his own election campaign.

He then mentions that in the early days, he was once contacted by AfD members of the state parliament who asked whether the traction of the Corona Committee could be used for political work. He had declined. Quote: We are not politicians and we don't want to be. They had also spoken to Wolfgang Wodarg about it. In general, they were treated by Reiner Füllmich, quote, like dirt under the fingernail.

Now he comes to talk about the class action. Füllmich had made the class action look bigger than it was. That's all Hoffmann knows about it. Nor does he know anything more about, quote, any model grand jury with a large group of international lawyers that never existed. The class action in Canada by, quote, this ..., this ..., ah, what's his name, Michael Swinwood was a bullshit lawsuit. He wanted to sue the Pope, the Queen and others.

The thought and the question creep up on me as to why Hoffmann was ever on the Corona Committee in the first place. He sounds like someone from the mainstream. He really didn't realize what was happening, apparently. And he talks about the Querdenken movement in the same style as those on the other side of the fence, apparently forgetting that Querdenken is an independent project by Michael Ballweg and had and has nothing to do with the Corona Committee. I'm surprised that he of all people doesn't know this or doesn't differentiate it properly.

Dr. Füllmich inquires and explains: Marcel Templin received 1.158 million of the purchase price of 1.345 million into his account. Wrongly, as Füllmich goes on to explain. As of August 2022, he had received back over 90% of Templin's client powers of attorney. Templin would never have had a claim to the client funds, and certainly not as a private individual. When asked why Templin had nevertheless done this with the entry of the land charge, Hoffmann replied: Because he did not take the termination seriously.

Hoffmann can no longer remember whether he knew at the time of the criminal complaint on 2 September 2022 that the EUR 700,000 should have been repaid to the Corona Committee from the proceeds of the house sale. Dr. Füllmich asks: On what legal basis did Marcel Templin receive the money from the house sale? He gets no answer from Hoffmann. Not even when he mentions the chat in which Hoffmann said that Templin had negotiated well, winking smiley. What was that supposed to mean? Again, no reply from Hoffmann.

Instead, Hoffmann goes on to claim, quote: "It should be certain that we would not have gotten any of Füllmich's money back. After all, it was about securing assets for the Corona Committee. Justus Hoffmann says, quote: "We wouldn't have achieved anything with a civil lawsuit. He would have been gone and we would have had no chance of success. Yes, we were a little bit personally agitated and upset. End quote. He goes on to say coldly, quote: "We knew your arrest was imminent and we made sure it happened. Is there a hint of triumph in the successful plan? I try to grasp that, but he's sitting with his back to me and unfortunately I can't see his face; the volume of his voice when he says this speaks volumes.

The tax consultant Jörn Böttcher alone had cost Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer over 20,000 euros and a reminder notice for 40,000 euros had been issued by Oval Media. An objection has been lodged and nothing more has been heard so far. Füllmich would like to see the receipts and have them on file. That was Justus Hoffmann's answer to the question of what specific damage had been caused.

Lawyer Katja Wörmer also has questions for the main prosecution witness Hoffmann. Firstly: Why didn't you change your tax advisor if he was controversial and unacceptable to Viviane Fischer and Dr. Füllmich? Hoffmann, quote: You're always wiser afterwards. Perhaps we should have done that. They were also unaware of the upheavals at the base and therefore held on to Jörn Böttcher as tax advisor.

Secondly, why didn't you simply leave the company? It was possible to leave the company at any time. That would have been possible without further ado and with a written agreement or a unanimous shareholder resolution. Hoffmann: They had hoped to continue and rejoin the company after the trouble. They had also approached Professor Homburg with their problem and contacted him. He also confirmed that they would be better off solving the problem this way.

Lawyer Wörmer follows up: They could have left at any time informally by shareholder resolution or by written agreement. Hoffmann: But the conclusion was that Füllmich could then have gone abroad, quote: because he felt he had been caught out because he had been exposed. Füllmich was not trusted. Quote: That would not have been worth the paper on which anything would have been written.

Lawyer Wörmer replies: If you had wanted to have an indemnity in addition, you could have had it notarized at any time, in addition. Then it would have been legally secure. Why wasn't that done? Hoffmann defends himself. He sees no reason to let Reiner Füllmich portray him as the biggest scoundrel. Quote: Reiner Füllmich lies when he opens his mouth, and he adds, gets emotional, can't give a logical answer to the lawyer's question, except: Quote: I was at the point where I was fed up with Reiner Füllmich. The day I will have nothing more to do with Reiner Füllmich is the happiest day of my life. We have to clean up after the rubble and ruins he left us. End quote.

Thirdly: Where is the tax assessment notice that we are talking about, the defense lawyer wants to know. Hoffmann: Quote: The tax consultant received it and had it set to zero in the meantime. Füllmich: So you don't have it at all? Hoffmann: I don't have it myself. It went straight to the tax consultant.

And it is only thanks to their tax consultant Jörn Böttcher and his efforts that Justus Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer are now exempt from corporation tax, as the assessment has been set to zero. Füllmich replies: So there's no damage at all? Hoffmann says that the tax consultant will do his best to minimize the damage. It is 4.20 p.m. and the chairman interrupts the main hearing. Hoffmann is called back as a witness for the next day of the trial. His questioning is then continued.

Lawyer Katja Wörmer's questions echo in my head and produce many more questions. My head is spinning. Why didn't Hoffmann and Antonia Fischer use the options described by lawyer Wörmer to leave the company without causing any damage? And why did they, together with their tax advisor, prevent the registration of the Vorschalt-UG at the shareholders' meeting? Registration would have been the solution.

How did Hoffmann, who according to his own statements was neither interested in the grassroots nor in politics in any other way, know that there were upheavals in the grassroots? And how did he come to claim that the election by party members of Viviane Fischer and Reiner Füllmich to the grassroots executive committee was not democratic, but that both had used Stasi methods to get to the top of the grassroots?

For not being interested in anything political, you do tell a lot of inside information from the grassroots, I think to myself, and I'm curious to see what further questioning of Hoffmann will bring to light.

It seems to be a personal thing, a combination of upheavals, sensitivities and bad blood in the Corona Committee and in the party Die Basis. And I briefly consider what would have happened if all the arguments had not arisen, but both the Corona Committee and the Die Basis party had not allowed themselves to be divided, but had instead worked together. What kind of a joining of forces in the resistance would that have been?

But these are just my own personal thoughts and it's pointless to think about them now.

On the way out, I talk to my old acquaintance, the editor from NDR. I tell him that I'm pleased to see him here again today and that I spoke to his colleague on the last day of the trial and pointed out some errors in the reporting. I was also a little disappointed about the brevity of the information on this exciting case. He explained to me that unfortunately there can sometimes be mistakes in the editing and that NDR is not a print medium and with its format cannot process all the information in the same way as a print medium. But they had already written a lot about it and I could read it on the NDR website.

He also thinks that it is a very exciting case and he does not believe that the trial will be completely over in March, given how complex and confusing the facts of the case are.

Contrary to expectations, we have a good conversation and I decide to build a bridge to the editors of the mainstream portals. After all, I have a kind of knowledge advantage that they don't have. I tell him this a little more conciliatory and he asks where he can read my report from the last days of the trial and what my name is. With a grin, I tell him that you have to have your secrets and that I'm sure he'll find out. We both have to smile and he accepts the unspoken challenge. "I'll find out." And I'm curious to see if he's managed it. Maybe I'll find out on the fourth day of the trial.

_________________________________

The current trial dates, by the way, with 5 days added:

• Dienstag, den 27. Februar 2024, 9:15 Uhr,

• Freitag, den 1. März 2024, 9:15 Uhr,

• Dienstag, den 5. März 2024, 9:15 Uhr und

• Freitag, den 8. März 2024, 9:15 Uhr.

  
  ADDED:

• Tuesday, 12.03.2024 Start: 09.15 a.m.

• Tuesday, 02.04.2024 Start: 09.15 a.m.

• Wednesday, 03.04.2024 Start: 09.15 a.m.

• Friday, 19.04.2024 Start: 09.15 a.m.

• Wednesday, 24.04.2024 Start: 09.15 a.m.

_________________________________

Here is the address to write to Reiner:

LETTERS;
JVA Rosdorf
Dr. Reiner Fuellmich
Am Grossen Sieke 8
37124 Rosdorf
Germany

• postcards and cards allowed,

• no glitter on the envelops,

• no stamps or money in the envelops,

• no books or other objects - not permitted,

• nothing to be mentioned about the case,

• put your name of each page of the letter - letters are taken out of the envelops.

TO DONATE:
To donate, here is the link for donations for legal and other expenses: https://www.givesendgo.com/GBBX2

Posted February 26, 2024