An 84-year-old former surgeon living in the Eifel region is on trial at the Eupen Criminal Court for providing people with false certificates exempting them from wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the hearing, the doctor admitted to providing certificates to people who contacted him by phone and told him of breathing difficulties or discomfort due to wearing a mask. He also admitted that he was against the obligation to wear a mask.
An investigation was begun when several people who were circulating without masks presented an attestation from the same doctor. “This doctor had not practised since 2004. However, he had kept his registration number,” the public prosecutor explained.
Andrea Tilgenkamp, the Deputy Public Prosecutor, requested a 10-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €4,000.
Five other defendants were charged with using the documents, described as fraudulent. The prosecution requested sentences of one month in prison and a fine of €1,600 each for the five.
The defence, for its part, disputed the fraudulent intent and called for an acquittal, pointing out that “like many doctors, the defendant did not travel and received patients’ complaints by telephone. As required by law, he exempted patients with medical contraindications from wearing masks.”
Judgment will be on 11 May.
