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The Düsseldorf prosecution has been taking action against Christoph Metzelder for almost a year; now, according to his own statements, the authority has filed charges against the former professional soccer player. According to information from SPIEGEL, he is accused of possessing image material in which children are abused; it is said to have also provided it to third parties.
Investigators did not provide information about the complaints when requested, and the communication only mentions a “former national soccer player.” Metzelder’s defense attorney and his media attorney left requests from SPIEGEL about the crimes he was charged with unanswered.
The complaints were made known last September. At the time, investigators searched Metzelder’s two addresses and seized a cell phone and a computer, among other things.
Not only was Metzelder the owner of the recordings, it is said that he sent images of child pornography to at least one woman. According to their own statements, the investigators became aware of this in the newspaper “Bild”, which also reported the accusation for the first time. A Hamburg police spokesman announced at the time that a situation had been reported in which “criminal investigations should be initiated immediately”.
Therefore, initially the procedure was developed in the Hanseatic city, then it took over Düsseldorf, where Metzelder lives. A spokeswoman for the Hamburg prosecutor announced at the time that the “alleged main crime scene” is located there.
Proceedings are also pending against a woman who claims to have received child abuse images from Metzelder. According to the Hamburg prosecutor’s office, she is accused of having owned several files of images of child pornography. Instead of going directly to the police, she first went to third parties with the material.
Reluctance of the prosecutor
The Düsseldorf public prosecutor justified his reluctance in his communication with a decision of the Düsseldorf Administrative Court in August. At that time, the legal committee of the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia wanted to discuss the investigation against Metzelder in a closed session.
Metzelder’s lawyers filed a lawsuit against him because they feared that the details of the criminal proceedings would be made public. The administrative court ruled that a referral was allowed if committee members decided on confidentiality with a two-thirds majority.
That the Prosecutor’s Office now refers to this decision causes astonishment in the administrative court. Because the chamber has not decided what investigators can tell journalists about the process. A court spokesperson put it this way: “The administrative court’s decision does not directly contain any information on the scope and limits of the prosecutor’s duty to inform the press.”
“The file is with us”
A spokeswoman for the Düsseldorf prosecutor’s office told SPIEGEL that even if you were not part of the process, the court’s decision was essentially about protecting personal rights. The prosecution must adhere to this. In light of the administrative court’s decision of almost two weeks, the decision was made to communicate only the accusation.
In the Metzelder case, it is now up to the Düsseldorf District Court. A spokesperson confirmed that the charges had been received. “The file is with us. The procedure is with us now.” The court must now decide whether to admit the charge.
