Bestensee's treasurer Heimo Ludwig faces immediate dismissal for fraud!

Bestensee's treasurer Heimo Ludwig faces immediate dismissal for fraud!

A thunderstorm hits the community of Bestensee. Chamberlain Heimo Ludwig is at the center of a maelstrom of allegations and legal difficulties. Today, on July 10, 2025, the situation has escalated: the Cottbus district court has passed a judgment against Ludwig, convicting him of forgery of documents in a particularly serious case. However, this judgment is not yet legally binding. According to [maz-online.de]. July 16, an unscheduled meeting to vote on Ludwig’s dismissal “with immediate effect.”

Mayor Roland Holm submitted the recall proposal in order to maintain the integrity and trust in City Hall. After all, Ludwig, in his responsibility for household and asset management, recently announced that no money was available - a statement that caused a stir in the community. The accusation of forgery of documents, in which Ludwig directed payments to a non-existent company, is particularly explosive. These incidents occurred between 2017 and 2019, as reported by derneuekaemmerer.de. The court imposed a nine-month prison sentence, which was, however, suspended. Ludwig also has to pay 6,000 euros to the state treasury and has already filed an appeal against the verdict.

Political opinions divided

There are different positions in the run-up to the local council meeting. Jürgen Ostländer, the chairman of the Plan Bestensee/CDU faction, has already expressed doubts about Ludwig's suitability and expects him to be dismissed. This is opposed by Annette Lehmann from the Independent Citizens Bestensee and Pätz (UBBP), who is in favor of Ludwig staying and is of the opinion that his work should be assessed positively overall. On the other hand, Oliver Calov, the AfD parliamentary group leader, is critical of the dismissal because he points out that there is no legally binding judgment and recommends that Ludwig's duties be suspended for the time being.

Another factor could be the WIR group, which has announced that it will vote unanimously for a recall in order to give the community a fresh start. If the majority votes for the recall, Mayor Holm will face the challenge of quickly finding a new treasurer as budget planning begins in a few weeks. This raises the question: Who will take over when Ludwig's time in office is up?

Given the circumstances that arose from the forgery of documents, it is clear that Ludwig is under pressure. The population expects transparency and integrative control in local government. You have a right to the affairs of the town hall being conducted with decency and integrity, because after all, trust in public administration employees is the be-all and end-all. A crucial meeting with potentially far-reaching consequences is approaching, and the citizens of Bestensee will be following these developments like a hawk.