The former CEO is expected to pay 3.9 million euros

V.A few weeks ago, the bankruptcy administrator of the security company Awo Protect, Frank Mößle, announced that it would take weeks to process the processes surrounding the Awo branch of the Frankfurt district association. It is now clear, however, how much money Mößle is asking former CEO Klaus Roth: 3.9 million euros. “We have now requested this amount,” Mößle told FAZ. Among other things, the calculation was based on a late bankruptcy filing and claims for damages.

Mößle also reported that there are credit registrations of over 2.5 million euros from creditors. The tax office is requesting one million, about 1.2 million from the Awo district association in Frankfurt. The bankruptcy trustee also raises demands against Taylan Burcu, a member of the state parliament of the Greens. He would have to reimburse the gross salary and employer share he received from Awo Protect: around 50,000 euros.

The member of the state parliament was also on the payroll of workers’ welfare. When he became the subject of criticism for this reason, Burcu provided incomplete information, for which the presidium of the state parliament has now scolded him. For example, he stated that he was the CEO of Awo ProServ in Wiesbaden before becoming a member of parliament. However, it later emerged that he had an employment contract with Awo Protect.

Insufficient billing documents

Burcu explained this by stating that it was not possible to register with ProServ, which had yet to be established, which is why employment with Protect was formally agreed. For the bankruptcy administrator, it is clear that Burcu wrongly received his salary from Awo-Protect because, according to the employment contract, he was supposed to work for the security company, but he did it for a subsidiary. Investigations by the trustee revealed further details. There are indications that invoices are not sufficient for commissions of 90,000 euros. In addition, indications were found in the documents that a system existed to grant the family members of Awo officials marginal employment.

The branches, including Awo Protect, play a key role in business relations within the intertwined Awo district associations in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden. Insiders suspect that these companies served not least to cover payments. Awo Protect has been in insolvency proceedings since February 2020. It was founded to protect the homes of refugees, which the Arbeiterwohlfahrt managed on behalf of the city of Frankfurt until the end of 2018. From July 2017 onwards, Awo Protect took care of of the two refugee lodgings in Gutleutstrasse and “Am Poloplatz”.

When the irregularities in the operation of the accommodation became known and the audit office intervened, the city and Awo separated. Based on these events, the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt has been investigating for months on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, including against the former managing director of the district association of Frankfurt Awo, Jürgen Richter.

Awo Protect CEO Klaus Roth was also the head of Awo’s day center in Frankfurt. He wanted to be Jürgen Richter’s successor, but in the wake of the scandal he relinquished his position on the board. Roth is currently exempt from the Frankfurt district association. “His activity as CEO is legally irrelevant to his employment relationship with the Awo District Association and has not provided us with any basis for measures under labor law,” says Steffen Krollmann, member of the board of Awo.