Investigations against Cottbuser OB Schick: Abuse of the title in focus!

Investigations against Cottbuser OB Schick: Abuse of the title in focus!

Cottbus, Deutschland - In Cottbus, the situation around Mayor Tobias Schick (SPD) is currently tense. The Cottbus public prosecutor's office has investigated him because the accusation is in the room that he had illegally used a title. Martin Mach, the public prosecutor's press spokesman, confirms the ongoing investigations that go back to an anonymous advertisement that Schick is said to have used the title "Diplom-Administration Manager" without making it clear that this is an administrative conclusion that was acquired at an academy that was not recognized by the state. rbb24 reports that…

The legal foundations of these investigations relate to § 132a StGB, which affects the abuse of titles. In the various public representations, including its campaign homepage and the website of the city of Cottbus, the title is cited what the investigators called. In a statement, Schick himself admits a phrase that in his opinion led to confusion. Three letters that would have indicated that it was a non -academic degree were missing in the corresponding description.

background to the title

Tobias Schick studied Cottbus at the Administrative and Economic Academy (VWA). He completed his training with the predicate "very good (1.3)" and has a certificate that shows this conclusion. However, the VWA degree is not associated with an academic degree, since the academy does not give state-recognized degrees. This leads to the current ambiguities about the use of the title in public. [Niederlausitz currently makes it clear that…] (https://www.niederlausitz-aktuell.de/niederlausitz-aktuell/cottbus/297187/staksanwaltung-ermittel- against-cottbuser-Oberbuermeister-schick.html)

Although Schick rejects the allegations and does not assume any intention to deceive, the investigation remains tense. The advertiser is so far unknown, and it is uncertain whether charges are actually charged against Schick. In his explanation, Schick emphasized that he had correctly acquired the diploma as an administrative business economist (VWA) and that the certificate is present. [Radio Cottbus reports that…] (https://www.radiocottbus.de/lausitz-news/2025/27/staksanwalpfbus-cottbus-ermittel- against-tobias-schick/)

political effects and reactions

as the mayor of Cottbus, an office that he has held since 2022, Schick is of course the focus of reporting. Before his election, he was managing director of the Cottbus City Sports Association and also studied industrial engineering at the Brandenburg University of Cottbus - Senftenberg. The political effects of these investigations could be significant if it turns out that there is an indictment.

The developments of the coming weeks will show how the situation for Tobias Schick continues to develop and whether the public prosecutor can get a clear result. What is certain is that in Cottbus politics all eyes are now directed towards the mayor.