In the second criminal process the collapse of the Cologne city archive, the regional court has sentenced a defendant for negligent homicide to imprisonment for a period of one year on probation. The former General superintendent to have infringed on the construction of a metro stop in front of the archive building of its monitoring duties. In the case of the accident at 3. In March 2009, two young residents were killed, it is a billion damage.
The court was of the Conviction that the collapse was caused by errors in the construction work. As a result, workers in 2005 were not removed during the digging of the pit, a block of Stone, so that in an underground concrete wall in a leak. “The collapse of the archive is safely effected by this fault,” said the judge in the justification of the verdict on Thursday. On the day of the disaster, large quantities of water and gravel collapsed into the pit, the archive of the floor was withdrawn.
chief supervisor of the injured a duty of care
As of the defects happened, was used, the defendant chief supervisor, although only as a holiday representative. According to the judgment, he wrote at the time, however, a In, the had disagreements. This “clear warning signs” would have to be for the today, 64-Year-olds rise to a closer examination, said the judge. Since he had this, he had breached his duties of Care.
In a first process, the district court had sentenced last October, already a construction supervisor of the Cologne transport authority (KVB) to a suspended sentence of eight months for negligent homicide. Three other defendants – employees of construction companies and KVB were acquitted. One of these defendants had been charged in the course of the trial, the now-convicted chief supervisor.
More about
judgment of the district court’s collapse of the Cologne city archive: Three acquittals, once probation
The court was under pressure of time, because at the 3. In March, after ten years, the Statute of limitations. The counsel for the defendant announced to go against the judgment in Revision. The Association of the underground railway construction participating construction companies (Arge) stated that they could not understand the verdict. In their view, the collapse cause was not clarified so far clearly. (dpa)
