Ermittlungen gegen OB: Nach Hotel-Randale noch viele Fragen offen - OB schweigt

In Freiberg, Saxony, the city is grappling with a crisis following a police intervention involving its mayor, Philipp Preißler. A special meeting of the city council has not yielded new insights into the incident. The head of the municipal supervision, Conrad Wolowski, stated that details of the events in Leipzig and the investigative process cannot be disclosed.

So far, there has been no contact with Preißler, who continues to serve as the mayor of Freiberg despite a service ban. Earlier, on August 6th, the police in Leipzig were called to a hotel in the bustling city center, where a man was causing a disturbance and throwing items from the windows. When the police intervened, he injured two officials and was subsequently taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

Investigations are now underway for property damage and resistance against enforcement officers. Preißler has since disappeared. The police remain silent on the status of the investigations, including whether a blood sample has been taken and whether the ringleader was under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the incident.

Preißler, a 41-year-old, previously served as the deputy head of the office of Mayor Sven Krüger (independent). After Krüger took over the leadership of the Landratsamt, Preißler seized the opportunity to assume the position of chief in the Rathaus. In the fall, he won the election in the second round with just over 46% of the votes.

However, he had to wait several months before taking office due to a challenge of the election. Shortly after his appointment, the crisis erupted. He held his last workday at the city administration on July 10th, informing them that he needed to take his annual leave for personal reasons. Following the incident in Leipzig, both the police and the municipal supervision are investigating.

A disciplinary procedure has been initiated by the municipal supervision. "It is a neutral procedure in which both supportive and negative facts are investigated," the Landratsamt of the Mittelsachsen district emphasized at the beginning of the week. Previously, Landrat Krüger had banned Preißler from exercising his duties. For now, Mayor Martin Seltmann (independent) is handling the city's affairs.

Preißler is not the first city leader in Saxony to face investigation due to personal misconduct shortly after taking office. Glauchau's mayor, Marcus Steinhart (CDU), beat up a high school acquaintance of his son in late August 2022. He admitted to the act and expressed regret. The Landratsamt of Zwickau initiated a disciplinary procedure against him.

Later, Steinhart was convicted in court for intentional bodily harm and intimidation, receiving a fine of 150 euros for each of the 70 workdays. However, he remains not considered a convicted person. His tenure as chief in the Glauchau Rathaus has continued.