A Bavarian Parliamentary commission will open a formal investigation of the background of the trial of the late Philip Auerbach, former head of the State Restitution Office, on Sept. 30, with a public hearing. The committee has already begun informal sessions here.
Auerbach, a former concentration camp inmate, committed suicide after his conviction for alleged irregularities in the restitution office. The chief prosecution witness against Auerbach was subsequently convicted of perjury. Attorneys for Auerbach have charged the Bavarian Ministry of Justice with “rigging” the trial by placing three former Nazi Party members on the five-man bench.
Former Justice Minister Joseph Mueller, who removed Auerbach from office and ordered his trial, in a speech here last night, said that if he had once again to consider reorganization of the restitution office and proceedings against Auerbach, he would do so “without regrets.” He said that “I had to show my ability to be called an anti-Semite while what I was actually working for was the prevention of anti-Semitism in Germany.”
At Dusseldorf, Chief Rabbi Dr. Holzer reported today that a local committee had raised 2,000 marks to aid the Auerbach family which was left penniless.
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