BND Affair in Geretsried: Acquaintances defend arrested Manfred D.
Manfred D. is suspected of having sold around 2,000 classified documents to former BND chief August Hanning. Neighbours and former teammates describe the 64-year-old as a quiet, upstanding person.
Geretsried in shock: acquaintances defend arrested BND employee
A long-time acquaintance of Manfred D. from Geretsried, who was arrested on Tuesday, would "stake his reputation" on him — this is reported by merkur.de following conversations with neighbours and former associates of the 64-year-old. D. is suspected of having sold around 2,000 classified documents to former BND President August Hanning in his capacity as a former BND office manager.
"I was shocked when I heard about it," says a resident of Wolfratshausen who knows D. from the neighbourhood. The two would regularly chat at the garden fence or on the street. D. had always struck him as a "very upstanding person," someone he had found to be particularly loyal. He had learned of the arrest in the neighbouring town in the context of the intelligence service scandal — only two days later did it emerge that his acquaintance was the person in question. He had discussed the news with his wife: "I could imagine that he is being made a scapegoat now."
Former trainee: "A top bloke, a quiet guy"
Some also know him from football. D. was active as a player and later as an amateur coach in the region. A former player he coached was surprised by the allegations: "He was a top bloke, a quiet, very nice guy." He had known little about his trainer's profession at the time. "We were all young lads. We weren't particularly interested in what our trainer did professionally." But one thing stuck with him: "He had a good reputation in the club."
Local sports editor Thomas Wenzel recalls a specific moment from D.'s early coaching career, when he was still active as a player-coach: In the 89th minute of a close match, he substituted himself on and converted a free kick directly into the top corner. At two clubs in the region, the "excellent player and later coach" left lasting impressions, according to Wenzel's account.
Federal Prosecutor General: 2,000 documents handed over
Following the arrest, the Federal Prosecutor General stated that D. is strongly suspected of having passed around 2,000 documents — including classified state secrets — to his former superior. The main suspect in the proceedings is August Hanning (80), who was President of the BND from 1998 to 2005 and subsequently State Secretary in the Federal Interior Ministry until 2009. Hanning is accused of intelligence agency espionage, betrayal of the state through espionage, obtaining of state secrets, and attempted treason. Both men have been in pre-trial detention since the beginning of the week.
According to Spiegel's research, D. is said to have received official approval from the Federal Intelligence Service for secondary employment with his former superior.
Former BND colleague: "A very quiet, level-headed colleague"
A former colleague who himself worked at the BND for more than 40 years has also commented to merkur.de. He knows D., "albeit only briefly," and remembers him as "a very quiet, level-headed colleague." He does not speculate on possible motives: "I do not engage in speculation." However, he emphasises explicitly: "We all signed a confidentiality agreement. It is binding for life." The confidentiality obligation at the BND is considered the strictest legal secrecy requirement in Germany.
Online, D. — whose alleged cover name is "Augner" — leaves barely any professional traces. An exception is an open letter from a woman in which he is praised as "a thoroughly helpful civil servant."
Career: Office manager to several intelligence service chiefs
D. was initially Hanning's office manager at the BND and transferred with him to the Federal Interior Ministry. Since March 2012, the 64-year-old served as office manager to several successive BND presidents. In spring this year, he left the service.
Source: Google News LU DE