iNSiGht - Intro
iNSiGht - Intro
iNSiGht - Intro
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insight corporate Governance Germany<br />
offerings if they did not understand the prospectus.<br />
The test case should clarify whether the Bonn-based<br />
company concealed risks in the prospectus for<br />
its third equity offering in June 2000 and deceived<br />
shareholders by false information. The 17,000 plaintiffs<br />
are demanding a total of 80 million euros. Telekom<br />
rejects the claim.<br />
t A judicial mediation in the billion-dollar lawsuit<br />
between GAGFAH and the city of Dresden has failed<br />
before Dresden Regional Court. A spokesman for<br />
the regional court confirmed reports to this effect in<br />
local newspapers. The property company also confirmed<br />
the failure; both parties gave no reason. It was<br />
to be decided still in January when the trial would<br />
begin. In the course of their enquiries, the prosecution<br />
had recently searched GAGFAH’s premises. The<br />
capital of Saxony has sued GAGFAH for alleged violations<br />
of tenant protection clauses, seeking a penalty<br />
of 1.08 billion euros. GAGFAH has always denied<br />
the allegations.<br />
t Immediately prior to commencement of the trial<br />
in the so-called Market Letter case, Harald Petersen<br />
resigned his positions at shareholder association<br />
Schutzgemeinschaft der Kapitalanleger (SdK). On<br />
the weekend before the trial it was revealed that the<br />
prosecution was also investigating the former SdK<br />
board member, who is also one of Markus Straub’s<br />
companies<br />
lawyers, for “complicity in market manipulation.”<br />
Despite investigations against the defence counsel,<br />
the trial of former shareholder protector Straub and<br />
Tobias Bosler started on 23 January. A former editor<br />
of investment newsletters and former SdK officer<br />
Christopher Öfele - both considered to be accomplices<br />
of Bosler, who allegedly organized the insider<br />
trading - had already confessed and received suspended<br />
sentences. The shareholder association had<br />
publicly criticized alleged accounting tricks by Wirecard,<br />
while Straub bet on falling prices.<br />
t Christian Strenger has lost his lawsuit against SolarWorld.<br />
Cologne District Court rejected the legal<br />
challenge against the decisions of last year’s Annual<br />
General Meeting of the TecDax group on 12<br />
January. The corporate-governance expert had criticized<br />
the one-sided composition of the photovoltaic<br />
company’s Supervisory Board, because its members<br />
advise SolarWorld on legal matters, and challenged<br />
the actions of the Executive Board and Supervisory<br />
Board. The court pointed out that while the consulting<br />
agreement, in existence for years, between<br />
the solar energy company and the law firm Schmitz<br />
Knoth, where Supervisory Board chairman Claus<br />
Recktenwald is a partner, does not correspond with<br />
the requirements of the Companies Act, there is no<br />
evidence of conflicts of interest or a lack of independence<br />
of the supervisory body.<br />
issue 02/2012 07