The 'green hell' embezzlement

A 300,000 euro embezzlement brought Rhieneland-Palatinate Ingolf Deubel a three and a half year prison sentence. The former German Finance Minister was found guilty for embezzlement in the Nurburgring scandal.

The famous Formula One track was on the verge of closing down a few years ago. The German government ended up spending money on a asphalt black hole. The track was in desperate need of at leas 300 million euros to stay open. Its owners failed to find private funding and this is where Rhieneland-Palatinate Ingolf Deubel entered the game. The former minister was charged of 14 counts and found guilty of embezzling hundreds of thousands of euros as well as risking 12 million euros of taxpayer money.

Although prosecutors went for a four year prison sentence, Rhieneland-Palatinate Ingolf Deubel eventually got only three and a half. The former minister claimed innocence since the beginning of the trial two years ago.

Nurburgring is a famous race track and motor sports complex around the village of Nurburg. The whole complex features a Formula One race track. It also features a 20.8 kilometer track used primarily by car developers and car enthusiasts. The Nordschliefe is one of the most famous tracks in the world and it was acquired this year by Capricorn Group for 100 million euros.