Defendant’s ill health delays Nazi trial

20 May 2015, 6:03 pm

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A German court says this week’s session in the trial of a 93-year-old former SS sergeant who served in the Auschwitz death camp has been called off due to the defendant’s poor health.

The Lueneburg state court says that Oskar Groening is ill and not able to stand trial on Thursday as planned.

Groening is charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he helped the death camp function in his job sorting cash and valuables seized from Jews. He told the court as the trial opened last month he felt a “moral guilt” but said it was up to the judges to decide if he was legally guilty.

The trial is to resume next Tuesday.

One other session has already been canceled due to Groening’s health.