Contents
The former cantonal veterinarian and other officials will be in court from Wednesday regarding the Hefenhofen (TG) case.
What happened? The Hefenhofen case has further legal consequences. The trial against the former head of the Thurgau veterinary office and cantonal veterinarian as well as three of his former employees begins on Wednesday at the Frauenfeld district court. This concerns alleged misconduct in connection with the animal welfare case, which made headlines for several years.
Why is the former cantonal veterinarian on trial? The Thurgau public prosecutor’s office brought charges, among other things because the horse owner himself filed a complaint. The focus is on the former cantonal veterinarian. The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of, among other things, multiple abuse of office, damage to creditors and multiple animal cruelty.
What are the allegations specifically? The former head of the veterinary office did not properly inspect his farm out of fear of the farmer – who was known to be a terror to the authorities – and did not enforce a ban on keeping animals that had already been imposed. According to the prosecution, he thereby violated his official duties and at the same time accepted that animals suffered.
Are there any further allegations against the former cantonal veterinarian? The prosecution says: Yes. For example, after the farm was evacuated, 93 horses were auctioned off. The accusation here is that in order to harm the farmer, the cantonal veterinarian and his deputy tried to keep auction prices low by capping them. Some valuable horses would have changed hands at very low prices. The horse owner is now demanding 2.6 million francs in damages as a private plaintiff.
Legend:
In 2017, the alleged animal abuser’s farm in Hefenhofen (TG) was closed and forcibly evacuated.
Keystone/Ennio Leanza
What punishment do the defendants face? In addition to the former official veterinarian, his former deputy and two other employees are also charged. What punishment the public prosecutor is demanding will only be known during the trial. Between January 24th and the planned opening of the verdict on March 19th, nine trial days and one reserve day are planned. The trial is intended to show whether the former Thurgau canton veterinarian committed a criminal offense.
What is the current status of the alleged animal abuser? Almost a year ago, in March 2023, the horse breeder, who had a criminal record, was acquitted of numerous allegations. Most of the evidence presented with which the public prosecutor’s office wanted to put the farmer in prison for six years could not be used due to procedural errors on the part of the authorities, according to the verdict. The public prosecutor’s office has lodged an appeal against this. The case is now before the higher court.