Germany : Money paid to Moroccan Mounir El Motassadeq still subject to controversy

The money paid by the German state to Moroccan Mounir El Motassadeq while he was sentenced in a terrorism case remains controversial, especially in Hamburg. According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH, the German news agency, a special meeting of the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to take place Tuesday to question, among others, Hamburg senator Till Steffen (Greens) and Interior senator Andy Grote (SPD).

«The opposition is waiting for the results of the extraordinary session», the press agency said. «If they provided aid to a convicted terrorist, the pensions were then paid illegally, which is a scandal», the opposition denounces.

So far, the heads of the Justice and Interior departments have not provided an explanation, but «blame each other», said Anna von Treuenfels-Frowein, president and spokeswoman of the FDP parliamentary group, to the German press agency. She called for transparency on political responsibilities because «when such flagrant errors occur, responsibility must be assumed».

In this case, the Hamburg Attorney General's Office is investigating eight members of the police and the judiciary. Investigations into violations of German law are still ongoing.

Moroccan Mounir El Motassadeq, sentenced in 2007 to 15 years in prison by the Hamburg court for complicity in the 9/11 attacks, received irregularly more than 7,000 euros upon his release from prison.

The sum was paid to him on an account he had opened while he was in prison, before he was extradited to Morocco in October 2018. This operation violates the European regulations.