Scandal surrounding Rheinsberg's mayor: 18,000 euros fine for defamation!

Scandal surrounding Rheinsberg's mayor: 18,000 euros fine for defamation!

The political waters in Rheinsberg are causing a stir because the Neuruppin district court has convicted Mayor Frank-Rudi Schwochow (BVB/Free Voters) of defamation. The court's decision was made on Friday, October 13, 2025. Schwochow must now pay a fine of 18,000 euros after he spread untrue facts about District Administrator Ralf Reinhardt (SPD). According to the information from maz-online.de Schwochow was accused of having claimed in a letter to the district and the district council that the public prosecutor's office was investigating Reinhardt, which turned out to be untrue.

These allegations did not come out of the blue. The mayor had previously reported Reinhardt for breach of trust and accused him of overpriced rental agreements for refugee accommodation. However, the court found that the public prosecutor did not see sufficient initial suspicion for an investigation against the district administrator. This led to Schwochow's allegations being rejected across the board.

Penalties and legal disputes

During the negotiation it emerged that Schwochow acted as chairman of the supervisory board of the Rheinsberg housing company Rewoge in 2023 without obtaining the necessary approval from the supervisory board. This led to high legal and court costs, which caused the company financial damage of over 10,000 euros. However, Schwochow was acquitted of the corresponding charges in the case of further allegations, in particular of infidelity rbb24.de reported.

Although he denies the allegations and believes the cases are politically motivated, Schwochow plans to appeal the verdict. His rejection of the judge due to bias and his desire to hear witnesses show that he is still willing to fight against the decision. But it remains to be remembered that a penalty order, as in Schwochow's case, is a court decision without a public main hearing, which he can now challenge.

Political consequences and future prospects

Schwochow's political future could be directly influenced. With the mayoral elections on September 15, 2025 in mind, a conviction could exacerbate post-election crises of trust in the administration. A negative verdict could not only lead to disciplinary proceedings, but in the worst case scenario could also result in the loss of civil service rights. in-neuruppin.de emphasizes that voters in Rheinsberg now have the opportunity to choose between different candidates and initiate a change of course.

Schwochow continues to see himself as a target of political rivals and vehemently rejects the allegations. His approach shows how much the separation of political responsibility and judicial processing in the current case overlaps and contributes to political uncertainty. In any case, it remains to be seen how things will develop and whether the mayor can maintain his ambitions.