14 people sent to court in the case of German youngsters held in slavery in Maramures County

The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) ordered on Friday that 14 people be sent to court, including Schumann Bert Sieghard and Schumann Babett spouses, but also a social worker, in the case of the German youngsters held in slavery at a Centre in Viseul de Sus locality, Maramures County.

According to a DIICOT release, the 14 persons are charged with committing the following offenses: establishing an organised criminal group, trafficking minors, complicity in the offense of trafficking minors, human trafficking, complicity in human trafficking, illegal deprivation of liberty, complicity in the offense of deprivation of liberty, money laundering, favouring the offender and abuse of office. 

Through the notification, it was noted that between March 2014 and August 2019, Schumann Bert Sieghard and Schumann Babett, and Romanian citizen Vasile Nasui, aka "Nelutu" established an organised criminal group in view of trafficking several youngsters of German nationality, aged between 12 and 18, under the guise of carrying out some authorised activities of education services aimed at recovery and social reintegration, based on some programmes and projects carried out by foundations coordinated by the Schumann spouses. 

The provision of the social service called "assistance and support in the social rehabilitation of children and youngsters with behavior problems - Projekt Maramures (Project Maramures)," based on which the group carried out these activities was possible through an entity (not legally defined) called "Projekt Maramures" Centre, in the Viseul de Sus locality, Maramures County.

The money funds through which the "Projekt Maramures" carried out its activity were provided by the German state toward an association registered in the same country and from here directly to Schumann Bert Sieghard, with several bank accounts opened in his name.

In the official programmes of the "Projekt Maramures" a multitude of leisure activities were stipulated in view of achieving rehabilitation, which were meant to stimulate children's desire for peace and integration, usually in nature, benefiting from multidisciplinary education through some specialists in pedagogy, psychology and various lucrative activities.

According to the DIICOT, in reality, these were only on the surface, because most of the children were excluded from any form of continuation of studies, having their identity documents and personal belongings confiscated (mainly those which could facilitate the possibility of communicating with the outside world - mobile phones, laptops, tablets) and were subjected to some harsh and brutal methods of so-called education, promoted by Schumann Bert Sieghard, based on some personal educational beliefs.