Berlin airport tech chief guilty of corruption

Jochen Großmann, who was fired in June when the allegations were made public, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence by a court in Cottbus for fraud and corruption. He was also fined €200,000. 

 

Großmann demanded €500,000 from a potential contractor for work on the massively overbudget and delayed Berlin Airport (BER). The work was to fix the airport's smoke extraction system – which is the main reason behind its delayed launch. 

 

On two other occasions Großmann defrauded the airport by overbilling them for €50,000. In two further incidents he overbilled by a total of €5,000. 

 

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Großmann accepted the court's decision but is appealing against his dismissal. 

 

Großmann was initially suspended while an investigation was carried out into the allegations that he demanded a bribe from the prospective contractor.

 

Airport bosses were keen to stress the case was a one-off, but it is not the first corruption scandal to hit the airport.

 

Last April three men, including the head of the Märkische sewage association, were charged with corruption after bribes were paid by firms wanting to secure airport contracts.