SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Ex-president’s aide on trial for corruption

The spokesman of former president Christian Wulff will go on trial in Hannover on Monday for corruption, four weeks after his ex-boss went on trial for accepting favours.

Ex-president’s aide on trial for corruption
Glaeseker (r) with his former boss and ex-President Christian Wulff. Photo: DPA

Olaf Glaeseker is accused of corruption during his time as state government spokesman in Lower Saxony where Wulff was state premier from 2003 to 2010.

The 52-year-old allegedly helped party promoter Manfred Schmidt to find sponsors for a private economic summit called ‘Nord-Süd-Dialog’ from 2007 to 2009.

Glaeseker allegedly persuaded sponsors to cough up €650,000 for the meeting, using his position as leverage. Schmidt reportedly made €1 million profit from holding the summit in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

In return Glaeseker allegedly received nine free holidays in Spain and France as well as 19 plane tickets with a total value of around €12,000.

Glaeseker and Schmidt deny the corruption charges.

Wulff is expected to appear as a witness. His trial for accepting favours is ongoing.

READ MORE: Ex-president's favours trial begins 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

SHOW COMMENTS