Surprising end: Ex-board members of Alno AG escape punishment!

Surprising end: Ex-board members of Alno AG escape punishment!

In an unexpected end to the legal dispute surrounding Alno AG, the Stuttgart regional court has closed the proceedings against the former board members Max Müller and Ipek Demirtas after nine months of negotiations. This decision comes after dramatic developments that brought down what was once Germany's largest kitchen brand. The insolvency of Alno AG led to a significant loss of over 1,400 jobs in 2017, as merkur.de reported.

With the founding of Alno GmbH, which emerged from the insolvency estate, it initially seemed as if the company could continue its business. However, the new company also filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and was ultimately liquidated. The creditors' total claims amount to an alarming 1.7 billion euros, which illustrates the scale of the financial disaster. Alno, once at its peak with around 2,100 employees, is now part of the Höffner Group, but is no longer an independent company.

Court proceedings heavily criticized

The investigations against Max Müller and Ipek Demirtas were initiated after suspicions of delaying bankruptcy, loan fraud and breach of trust were raised. While the case was being heard in court for months, the lawyers for the ex-board members vehemently rejected the allegations and described the investigation as excessive. Now that the public prosecutor's office has backed away from its allegations, it is clear that both defendants have no criminal record and the presumption of innocence continues to apply to them.

The proceedings were discontinued through payments of 40,000 euros by Müller and 17,500 euros by Demirtas. There had previously been several discontinuations of proceedings against direct payments, and with the discontinuation of the proceedings in accordance with Section 153a StPO, the criminal part of the insolvency processing ended on October 20th. This shows how fragile the legal framework is for dealing with such significant insolvency cases, which are often in the public interest.

Bankruptcies in general

Alno AG is not alone in its misery. A look at the numbers shows that corporate insolvencies in Germany have increased in recent years. According to the Federal Statistical Office, data on corporate insolvency shows that the trend of economic uncertainty continues. From 2010 to 2024, many companies, similar to Alno AG, experienced large-scale financial problems that often led to closure, as Statista shows.

Overall, it is to be hoped that such incidents not only serve as a warning signal for other companies, but also lead to stronger regulation of insolvency law. Despite the tragedy associated with bankruptcies, there can also be opportunities for new beginnings and innovative companies.