Germany's Former President Christian Wulff was acquitted on Thursday on charges of corruption and accepting favors that prompted his resignation two years ago.
Presiding Judge Frank Rosenow of the Hanover State Court announced the verdict on Thursday morning, stressing that “there has been no strong evidence against the defendants” that support the claims of the prosecution.
State prosecutors initially charged Wulff with bribery and corruption, but the court reduced the charges to 'accepting favors'.
Wulff was accused of letting businessman and film financier David Groenewold pay his hotel and dinner costs worth 719.40 euros during Munich's Oktoberfest in 2008. Prosecutors claimed that Wulff used his political influence to get financial support for Groenewold’s film project. Both Wulff and Groenewold rejected these allegations.
Christian Wulff resigned from Presidency on 17 February 2012 after media reports claimed that he received favorable loans and accepted favors from the businessman while in his former role as the Prime Minister of the state of Lower Saxony.
Christian Democrat politician Wulff was elected as president in 2010 and he became the youngest German president.
During the 20th anniversary of German reunification in 2010, the then President Wulff said that "Islam also belongs in Germany" prompting debate in society. Germany’s four million Muslims praised Wulff’s remarks but he received strong criticism from various prominent conservative politicians.
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