Volksbank: Vorstandsmitglied Jürgen Neutgens verlässt Volksbank Köln Bonn

Volksbank Köln Bonn has announced that its member and board member Jürgen Neutgens will no longer be part of the bank. The decisions came about after discussions between Neutgens' supervisor and Neutgens himself. Neutgens had been on permitted leave previously. The bank stated that an external law firm found no evidence of financial irregularities or misconduct during an investigation of a controversial credit for the Bordellimmobilie "Pascha" in Cologne.

The firm's inquiry was prompted by the bank's request following the revelation of the financing for the Bordellimmobilie. The credit in question was five million euros, provided as interim financing for the purchase of the Bordellimmobilie "Pascha," which was necessary because the buyer had not paid the full purchase price of eleven million euros.

Despite the investigation's findings, Neutgens chose to leave the bank. The bank noted that the past weeks had significantly strained all parties involved, leading to a mutual assessment that a trusting and unbiased collaboration was no longer feasible for the future. Neutgens had consistently denied the accusations from the beginning, with his lawyer stating that his client "strongly denies all claims against him, including any suspicion directed towards him."

The lawyer emphasized that the investigation was in the best interest of Neutgens and that he would support it fully. Neutgens' leave of absence was "mutual," aimed at ensuring the independent and unbiased conduct of the external special investigation.