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BERLIN (AP) — A German court has closed a child porn case against a prominent former German lawmaker in exchange for a 5,000-euro ($5,600) payment.
Sebastian Edathy was accused of downloading pornographic photos and videos of children on his parliamentary laptop. Edathy admitted doing so and said it was a mistake in a statement read by his lawyer Monday, news agency dpa reported.
The state court in Verden then closed the case in exchange for the payment, which will be given to a child protection group.
German law allows for proceedings to be closed in exchange for a payment or community service "if the degree of guilt does not present an obstacle."
Edathy was a rising star in Germany's junior governing Social Democrats before the allegations. He quit Parliament last February.
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