Customs port land transactions in Mainz: next steps for OB Haase
The Koblenz public prosecutor's office has reopened an investigation into the sale of the Marina Zollhafen GmbH, following a renewed criminal complaint. The investigation stems from suspicions surrounding the sale and allegations of secret share acquisitions by the former head of Mainz's utilities, Hanns-Detlev Höhne.
According to reports, the newspaper's investigations had previously suggested that Höhne acquired shares in the marina in 2021 at favourable terms. However, Höhne denies these allegations, stating that he has not acquired any shares secretly.
The Koblenz public prosecutor's office has requested documents from the tax authorities, as a person connected to Marina Zollhafen GmbH was reinvestigated due to these suspicions. Initially, the public prosecutor did not see any initial suspicion, but further investigations have led to this request.
At the time of the sale, Marina Zollhafen GmbH had over 240,000 euros in account balances. According to Höhne, these balances were "fully paid out" before the sale. This point is under scrutiny in the re-examination of the allegations.
The valuation of the shares as stated in the first criminal complaint is a matter of contention for some parties. Höhne, for one, cannot understand the valuation of the shares, as the sale price of the partly city-owned shares in the Marina Zollhafen GmbH was only 86,000 euros, according to him. The first criminal complaint alleged that the true value of the shares could have been up to eleven million euros.
In response to these developments, Mainz's Mayor, Nino Haase (independent), is establishing a corporate audit at the city. The city's audit office will review the city's involvement in its holdings, including new companies. The holding reports will be expanded in coordination with the Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion (ADD).
Mayor Haase sees no signs of damage to the city from the sale, but considers the sale price appropriate. However, he believes that such business transactions should be proven through a public tender or an external audit. He also states that the lesson from the marina sale is that such deals should be avoided in the future and should only take place if they are clearly beneficial to the city or the city-affiliated company.
Mayor Haase's stance aligns with his view that such transactions should only occur if they are clearly beneficial to the city or the city-affiliated company. He believes that these business transactions can be problematic and should be subjected to rigorous scrutiny to ensure the city's interests are protected.
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