Oldenburg in the scandal: City demands information about poison waste!

Oldenburg in the scandal: City demands information about poison waste!

Oldenburg, Deutschland - The Council of the City of Oldenburg is now calling for a complete education to the environmental hazards that work out from the former air base. At the center of concern are there allegations of illegal waste disposal and possible corruption, which could lead to ongoing orders to be terminated to participating companies when confirming. In particular, the CDU councilor Christoph Baak expressed criticism of Mayor Jürgen Krogmann (SPD) and accused him of a lack of crisis communication. The concerns of the residents were apparently not sufficiently taken into account, which the minds also heated.

on the site of the former air base, the city plans to create a new residential area. But the current situation is tense because the Oldenburg public prosecutor's office is investigating three people for "unauthorized use of waste". There is a suspicion that the area of ​​dangerous hazardous waste, including asbestos containing asbestos and carcinogenic, has been suspected. An expert opinion of the public prosecutor has now revealed alarming results in soil samples: In depths of up to 3.90 meters, toxins have been found in concentrations that exceed the limit values.

Investigations and procedures

Despite these worrying findings, an earlier groundwater analysis by the city of Oldenburg had shown that this source has no endangerment for people and the environment. Mayor Krogmann has nevertheless announced that the public prosecutor's report thoroughly examine. At the same time, the Osnabrück public prosecutor's office is investigating due to allegations of corruption, including against a former urban employee. This situation highlights the urgent problems in dealing with environmental crime, which according to Transparency Germany is the third largest criminal activity of organized crime. The annual criminal profits from this type of crime are estimated to be between $ 110 and $ 281 billion worldwide and increase by five to seven percent annually.

forms of environmental crime, which also include illegal waste disposal and illegal wooden improvement, are increasingly becoming a major problem that is often associated with corruption, tax fraud and money laundering. Environmental crime also has a direct impact on the climate and the environment. These criminal acts are often only revealed by controls, and the investigations often make themselves lengthy.

social and legal challenges

In Germany, the decline in the recorded environmental criminal offenses has been worrying in recent years. According to an evaluation of the Federal Environment Agency, the cases recorded between 2004 and 2016 decreased by almost a third, while the decline in the total number of crimes was only four percent. This decline could be attributed to a reduced control intensity and the overload of the responsible authorities. Many offenses therefore remain unseen and undisputed.

Transparency Germany is calling for the establishment of priorities for environmental crime as well as the increase in resources of enforcement authorities. In addition, the introduction of corporate criminal law is sought in order to act more effectively against environmental criminal offenses. At the same time, a new EU directive on the criminal protection of the environment comes into force in 2024, which must be implemented in Germany by 2026 at the latest.