Günter Netzer will most likely not testify as a witness in the “Summer Fairy Tale” trial. Netzer, whose hearing was scheduled for May 23, informed the Frankfurt regional court through his lawyer that he would not travel to the trial location through his lawyer without giving reasons, presiding judge Eva-Marie Distler said on Thursday.
A statement via video link seems unlikely. Netzer, who lives in Switzerland, had pushed for the repayment of a loan of 10 million Swiss francs (around 9.8 million euros) on behalf of the businessman Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who died in 2009; In August 2003 he accompanied Horst R. Schmidt and Theo Zwanziger, who were now accused of tax evasion, to a meeting with Louis-Dreyfus in Switzerland.
In addition to Schmidt and Zwanziger, another organizer of the 2006 World Cup, Wolfgang Niersbach, is accused. The repayment of the money to Dreyfus by the DFB via an account of the International Football Association FIFA with reference to a share in the costs of a World Cup gala, which was later canceled, was claimed by the DFB officials as a business expense for tax purposes. The defendants deny the accusation.
Former FIFA President Joseph Blatter and former FIFA Secretary General Urs Linsi now appear ready to appear as witnesses to the court via video link from Switzerland. The prerequisite is that Switzerland provides legal assistance, which is “not fully the case” in tax proceedings, as Distler said.
