By Michael Sauerbier
Expensive suit, chic villa, new Benz SUV. Dirk-Uwe M. (68) is the main defendant in the largest bribery process in years. But what did the ex-boss of the state-owned garbage disposal company MEAB do with the 2.4 million euros in bribes?
The answer is swanky in Berlin’s commuter belt: a large, newly built villa with a columned portal on 1,500 square meters of land. From the garden house you can see the ornamental pond with the wooden bridge. Dirk-Uwe M. parks his Mercedes SUV in the double garage.
The ex-boss of the Berlin-Brandenburg garbage dumps sat eagerly reading files in the Neuruppin district court on Tuesday.
So far he has remained silent on the hundreds of charges. Bribery, infidelity, tax evasion. His defense attorney: “Mr. M. will make a statement at a later date.”
Ex-MEAB boss Dirk-Uwe M. (68) was silent on Tuesday in the dock Photo: Michael Sauerbier
But the financiers Klaus A. (61) and Günther H. (65) want to testify soon. H. had already admitted payments to the garbage godparents during the police interrogation. Investigators had caught him handing over the money to Dirk-Uwe M.
From 2012 to 2019, the company bosses are said to have greased the MEAB boss regularly. In return, according to the indictment, the garbage boss awarded them millions in contracts for landfill construction and sealing.
He picked up the money in cash in envelopes. Sometimes at Tegel Airport, sometimes on the Autobahn, in the Berlin “Eiffel” restaurant or the Potsdam Dorint Hotel.
The garbage godfather is said to have paid for luxury trips several times: Bahamas, Thailand, Cuba, North America: Dirk-Uwe H.’s fourth expensive passion – in addition to Mercedes bodies (SL, convertible), villa and VIP annual tickets for Hertha and Alba -games.
We all paid for his life of luxury – with our garbage fees. According to the indictment, the bribery companies charged “at least 20 percent above market prices”. Now the disposal company MEAB wants to claim back the damage.
To be continued on December 20th.