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The single judge based its decision on the lack of evidence that official authority had been deliberately abused. The ruling is not legally binding and will be passed on to the next authority, according to the claimant.
Hartmann and another former municipal councilor from Walenstadt SG had to appear in court due to a government decision from 2015. The original reason was a neighborhood dispute over a wall, which had been the subject of various lawsuits for years. Blick reported on the case.
The plaintiff’s lawyer explained during the hearing a week ago that the wall, which was built in 1998, clearly protrudes into his property and was built too high compared to the building permit, which was obtained by both the Administrative Court of St. Gallen and the Federal Court had determined.
As then vice president of Walenstadt, Hartmann co-signed an order in 2015 stating that the wall did not need to be dismantled. This eventually led to accusations of abuse of office.
The judge of the Werdenberg-Sarganserland court ruled that there was no “qualified misconduct”. No specific instructions for dismantling were linked to the court rulings at the time. This was only done in 2018 by the administrative court of the canton of St. Gallen.
Nevertheless, in the present municipal decision, the room for maneuver was used or even exhausted. “Even if mistakes were made, there is no clear evidence that there was a deliberate abuse of office,” the judge said during the oral judgment.
47-year-old Christof Hartmann is currently campaigning for a seat in the government of St. Gallen. In December 2023, the SVP Delegates Assembly nominated the Canton Council for the St. Gallen Government Council. The elections will take place on March 3.
In a statement after the ruling, Hartmann said he was pleased with the ruling. “I have never been aware of any guilt. The acquittal does not come as a surprise to me. Yet I am grateful that there is now clarity.” (SDA/brother)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
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