Ex-mayor fined 7,200 euros for spying on secretary

BR reported that the former mayor of Reichling, Johannes Hintersberger of the CSU, was fined 7,200 euros by Landsberg District Court on Tuesday for secretly monitoring his secretary for more than a year.

Hintersberger, who served as mayor from 2020 to 2026, installed a camera under a desk in the anteroom of the town hall and connected it to his mobile phone. This allowed him to listen in at any time, and he made 16 video and audio recordings.

The surveillance operation was discovered in October 2025. Police then searched the town hall and Hintersberger’s home.

The 36-year-old had challenged a penalty order, but only over the consequences, including the amount of the punishment. The offence itself was therefore accepted, and his conviction for violating the confidentiality of speech became final before the public hearing. The court was only required to determine the fine.

In a statement read by his defence lawyer, Hintersberger apologised for his actions. He also said he had suspected that his anteroom was being used as a meeting place by the political opposition. He said his secretary had supported his election rival during the 2020 campaign.

The court imposed 90 daily rates of 80 euros each, keeping the punishment just below the threshold at which he would be considered to have a criminal record. The court also took into account an agreement reached at the hearing to pay the secretary 10,000 euros in compensation.

Hintersberger did not stand for re-election in 2026. The judgment is not yet legally binding.