Gil Ofarim
Libel trial has begun in Leipzig
The accused musician Gil Ofarim (l.) with lawyer Dr. Alexander Stevens in the meeting room of the Leipzig Regional Court.
© imago images/EHL Media
The trial against Gil Ofarim started on Tuesday in the Leipzig regional court. The indictment was read out by the public prosecutor.
The trial of musicians Gil Ofarim (41) started as planned on Tuesday morning in the Leipzig regional court. The Munich native is accused of defamation. The indictment was read out by the public prosecutor.
What happened beforehand
The proceedings revolve around the events on the evening of October 5, 2021 in the Leipzig hotel “The Westin”. The public prosecutor’s office accuses Ofarim of untruthfully claiming in a video and to the police that a hotel employee had asked him to “put away his star” and only then could he check in. However, the prosecutors assume that Ofarim only invented the anti-Semitic insults against him. After extensive investigations, the case against the dismissed hotel employee was dropped.
Charges were brought against Ofarim in March 2o22. “The public prosecutor’s office considers that the statements made by Gil Ofarim in his video are inaccurate and defamatory due to their content,” quotes the “NZZ” Chief Public Prosecutor Ricardo Schulz.
Meanwhile, Gil Ofarim had his statement about the hotel employee at the weekend in the “Welt am Sonntag” repeated.
The Swiss daily newspaper “NZZ” also reports that the hotel employee will appear as a co-plaintiff in the trial. He is demanding compensation and his witness statement is expected on Tuesday afternoon.
The court has set ten days until December 7th for the hearing. If convicted, the musician faces a fine up to two years in prison.