Man unjustly jailed charged €100,000 for 'room and board'
German prosecutors have mandated that Manfred Genditzki cover the costs of his incarceration following his 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Manfred Genditzki, a German man recently exonerated after spending 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, has been confronted with a €100,000 bill for his incarceration expenses, leading to significant public backlash.
In 2010, Genditzki, who worked as a caretaker, was convicted of murdering an elderly woman in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria. The prosecution claimed he drowned the woman in her bathtub after a supposed argument. Throughout the trial and his imprisonment, Genditzki maintained his innocence. After enduring years of legal proceedings, a retrial in 2023 acquitted him, determining that the woman's death was likely accidental.
Upon his release, Genditzki was awarded standard compensation of €75 per day for the wrongful imprisonment, amounting to about €368,700. Seeking additional reparations for lost earnings and the significant personal impact of his wrongful conviction, he filed an official liability claim against the state of Bavaria, asking for an extra €750,000.
However, the Munich public prosecutor’s office responded by issuing Genditzki a bill close to €100,000. This figure includes costs for “accommodation and meals” during his time in prison, totaling approximately €50,442.48, as well as wages earned from prison labor, which amount to €48,979.06. Officials assert that it is a common and legal practice in Germany to deduct such costs from compensation claims.
Genditzki’s legal team is fighting against this bill, arguing that it is inappropriate to demand payment for a period he served wrongfully, while emphasizing the emotional and financial consequences of his extensive incarceration.
This situation has ignited widespread public outrage and raised questions about the fairness of the existing policy. Advocacy groups argue that charging an exonerated individual for their imprisonment exacerbates their suffering and underscores systemic issues within the justice system that inadequately addresses wrongful convictions.
Former Justice Minister Marco Buschmann had previously proposed eliminating this practice, but his initiative stalled after the governing coalition collapsed in November.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
In 2010, Genditzki, who worked as a caretaker, was convicted of murdering an elderly woman in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria. The prosecution claimed he drowned the woman in her bathtub after a supposed argument. Throughout the trial and his imprisonment, Genditzki maintained his innocence. After enduring years of legal proceedings, a retrial in 2023 acquitted him, determining that the woman's death was likely accidental.
Upon his release, Genditzki was awarded standard compensation of €75 per day for the wrongful imprisonment, amounting to about €368,700. Seeking additional reparations for lost earnings and the significant personal impact of his wrongful conviction, he filed an official liability claim against the state of Bavaria, asking for an extra €750,000.
However, the Munich public prosecutor’s office responded by issuing Genditzki a bill close to €100,000. This figure includes costs for “accommodation and meals” during his time in prison, totaling approximately €50,442.48, as well as wages earned from prison labor, which amount to €48,979.06. Officials assert that it is a common and legal practice in Germany to deduct such costs from compensation claims.
Genditzki’s legal team is fighting against this bill, arguing that it is inappropriate to demand payment for a period he served wrongfully, while emphasizing the emotional and financial consequences of his extensive incarceration.
This situation has ignited widespread public outrage and raised questions about the fairness of the existing policy. Advocacy groups argue that charging an exonerated individual for their imprisonment exacerbates their suffering and underscores systemic issues within the justice system that inadequately addresses wrongful convictions.
Former Justice Minister Marco Buschmann had previously proposed eliminating this practice, but his initiative stalled after the governing coalition collapsed in November.
Jessica Kline contributed to this report for TROIB News
