Wrongfully imprisoned man charged €100,000 for ‘room and board’

Manfred Genditzki was exonerated in Germany after spending 13 years behind bars

A German man who was recently exonerated after spending 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit has been presented with a €100,000 ($104,000) bill for his incarceration expenses, sparking widespread condemnation.

In 2010, Manfred Genditzki, a caretaker, was convicted of murdering an elderly woman in Rottach-Egern, Bavaria. He was accused of drowning the woman in her bathtub following an alleged dispute. Genditzki consistently maintained his innocence, and after years of legal battles, a retrial in 2023 acquitted him, revealing that the woman’s death was likely accidental.

Following his release, Genditzki received standard compensation of €75 for each day of wrongful imprisonment, totaling approximately €368,700. Seeking further reparations for lost earnings and the profound personal impact of his unjust incarceration, he filed an official liability claim against the state of Bavaria, demanding an additional €750,000.

In response, the Munich public prosecutor’s office issued Genditzki a bill amounting to around €100,000. This sum encompasses costs for “accommodation and meals” during his imprisonment, estimated at €50,442.48, and wages earned from prison labor totaling €48,979.06. The authorities argue that deducting these amounts from compensation claims is a common and legal practice in Germany.

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Genditzki’s legal team is challenging the bill, contending that it is unjust to demand payment for time wrongfully served, while highlighting the emotional and financial toll of his 13-year imprisonment.

The decision has sparked public outrage and debate over the fairness of the policy. Advocacy groups argue that billing an exonerated individual for their imprisonment adds insult to injury and highlights systemic flaws in the justice system’s handling of wrongful convictions.

Former Justice Minister Marco Buschmann had proposed abolishing this practice, but the initiative stalled following the collapse of the governing coalition in November.