The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office has brought charges against HSV professional Bakery Jatta for offences against the Residence Act.
The Hamburger SV player is accused of four offences against the Residence Act as well as indirect false certification in a further case. This is according to a press release issued on Monday.
According to the authorities, Bakery Jatta is said to have a false name and is actually called Bakary Daffeh. He is also said to have given a false date of birth, actually being two and a half years older.
According to the prosecution, Jatta travelled to Germany via Italy in the summer of 2015 as a refugee without a passport or residence permit. In Bremen, he claimed to be Bakery Jatta, born on 6 June 1998. In doing so, he had wanted to achieve that he would be granted a toleration “because of his alleged minority and the resulting obstacle to deportation”.
According to the indictment, however, he was Bakary Daffeh, born on 6 November 1995, under which name he had played professional football for various African clubs. In his home country, he is said to have been issued identity papers with his new identity, which he used for a later extension of his residence permit. He is also said to have applied for a driving licence using these details.
Prison sentence rather absurd
The trial will be held before the juvenile court judge “because the accused was part adolescent, part adult during the period of the offence in question”, it says. According to the prosecution, most of the charges have to be judged according to juvenile law.
Theoretically, there could even be a custodial sentence. However, according to lawyer Dr. Ingo Bott, this is rather unlikely. “It is the task of the public prosecutor’s office to investigate a matter to the end and then, in case of doubt, to bring it to trial if it requires a court trial to finally clarify the matter. However, this does not mean that there has to be a conviction. Especially in cases under juvenile criminal law, proceedings can also be dropped if a case has been “negotiated”. There could be a lot to suggest that such a path is good and right here.”
Jatta’s lawyer now has the opportunity to object to the charges and will do so, according to “Hamburger Morgenpost”
HSV stands behind Jatta
HSV did not initially comment on the matter, only tweeting a picture of a jubilant crowd around Jatta – captioned “Statement enough!”.
HSV officials had always backed Jatta. The case had already caused quite a stir nationwide in 2019. The newspaper “Sport Bild” had raised doubts about Jatta’s identity in a report. The subsequent investigations initially led to no result. Jatta spoke of a “witch hunt” and thanked those responsible for the club.
Last year, Jatta’s private living quarters were searched. Smartphones and tablets were seized in the process.