The founder of the controversial “lateral thinking” movement, Michael Ballweg, was arrested this Wednesday. The public prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart accuses the 47-year-old of money laundering and fraud. It’s about dubious fundraising. In the morning, investigators had searched Ballweg’s apartment and business premises.
The founder of the “lateral thinking” movement, Michael Ballweg, was arrested this Wednesday. FOCUS Online learned this in the afternoon from investigators. Accordingly, the public prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart accuses the 47-year-old and another suspect of money laundering and fraud.
The alleged acts are said to be related to donations that Ballweg collected in the lateral thinker scene. Investigators had already searched Ballweg’s private and business premises in the morning. Among other things, mobile phones and computers are said to have been confiscated and accounts arrested. Ballweg himself was temporarily arrested and later brought before the magistrate. After the raid, supporters of the lateral thinking movement called for protest rallies for Ballweg in front of his house in Stuttgart.
Michael Ballweg became known nationwide after he organized protests against the state corona policy from March 2020, first in Stuttgart, then in Berlin and other German cities. To this end, in April 2020 he founded the group “lateral thinking 711”. From Stuttgart, Ballweg, who maintains contacts with the “Reichsbürger” scene, set up a nationwide network of local “lateral thinking” initiatives. In interviews, the former IT entrepreneur explained that the federal government poses a greater threat to democracy than right-wing extremists.
From May 2020, Ballweg had campaigned intensively for donations among his supporters and is said to have raised several hundred thousand euros in this way over time. For example, on the “Quermachen711” website there was an appeal: “Support us financially with a donation (max. EUR 19,999 over 10 years). You will help us organize the demos and finance the lawsuits.” Ballweg’s private account number was given.
With this method, Ballweg apparently wanted to avoid the usual transparency and tax obligations that would have arisen with donations. He himself never disclosed the finances of “Quermachen711” and his donation income.
The Stuttgart police said about the investigation against Ballweg: “The 47-year-old is suspected of having raised financial contributions through public appeals since May 2020 and of having misled the donors about the intended use”. According to the current findings of the investigators, Ballweg is said to have “improperly used a higher six-digit amount of the financial donations raised for himself”.
