Arrest warrant issued against AfD member of the Bundestag Maximilian Krah

The Chemnitz district court has issued an arrest warrant against AfD member of the Bundestag Maximilian Krah. According to information from the dpa news agency, it is currently being examined whether the lifting of Krah's immunity as a member of the Bundestag, which is necessary for enforcement, should be applied for. Der Spiegel first reported on it.

The arrest warrant stems from a legal dispute between Krah and satirist Jan Böhmermann over his statements in a podcast: Krah wanted Böhmermann to be banned from claiming that the politician had ordered 200 bottles of champagne for the entire festival tent at the Munich Oktoberfest. The moderator read a letter with this statement in his podcast. However, the Düsseldorf regional court rejected his injunction.

Apparently part of the legal costs were not paid

According to Spiegel, the background to the arrest warrant are outstanding claims regarding legal costs. Initially, Böhmermann had to collect around 5,000 euros from Krah through enforcement proceedings; a further almost 300 euros are currently outstanding. Because the Bundestag member's constituency is in Chemnitz, the local court there is responsible. Krah did not appear at a court date last month.

According to his own statements, Krah already paid the legal costs in the legal dispute with Böhmermann in January. He told the ARD capital studio that he had now asked his lawyer for clarification. He considers Böhmermann to be a “disgust” and therefore only pays after checking.

Böhmermann's lawyer Sebastian Gorski explained: "Germany is a constitutional state and it cannot be the case that a member of the Bundestag and a fully qualified lawyer evades his legal obligations."