Despite being under contract, a professional football player applied for benefits. Because he hid his salary, he is now accused of welfare fraud.
The professional football player has to stand trial before the Hamburg District Court for social fraud. The 30-year-old is said to have received social benefits of close to €16,000 without being deserving of it. The public prosecutor said that in May 2019 he applied for Hearts 4, but withheld his income from a contract with the Lebanese Nejmeh Football Club in Beirut.
In June 2019, he allegedly moved into an apartment in the Stellingen region with his sister. The job center paid him extra benefits for moving. She added that the accused did not actually move at all, but rented the apartment to other people for 650 euros a month. From March to August 2020, he continued to receive Hartz IV, although at the same time he switched to a club in Poland and received a salary there.
The court said that between July 2019 and February 2020, he received €10,000 in social benefits due to fraud. From March to August 2020, the Employment Office paid him an additional 5,900 euros.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin on November 2. A new date has been set for Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 09:15.
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