A German old man in court. And the charge of "hiding a tank in his house."
A German pensioner is in legal dispute after police found a World War II Panther tank, an anti-aircraft gun and a torpedo in his basement in 2015.
According to Business Insider, a team of prosecutors and lawyers is negotiating the sentence for the 84-year-old man, which is likely to be a suspended sentence and a fine of up to 500,000 euros ($594,050).
The controversy over the German arms collector's violation of Germany's war weapons control law has begun, with the defense saying that the weapons no longer work, and therefore do not violate this legislation, and that they may carry a fine of less than 50,000 euros, according to Germany's RT.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, object to the german pensioner's defense, arguing that the weapons could still be used, and the case is scheduled to end in August 2021.
According to the German old man's lawyer, an American museum wants to buy a war-era Panther tank, with gun collectors interested in 70 assault rifles and many of the defendant's guns, Die Welt reported.
Memories of Nazism
The weapons were discovered in the basement of the German pensioner's home in 2015 after local authorities reported their wartime contents after searching property for Nazi-era artwork, according to the BBC.
The arms lift cost 20 soldiers a nine-hour effort, lifting a set of military equipment from the unnamed man's home in the suburb of Heckendorf, in the northern German city of Kiel.
There were also a number of Nazi memorabilia, including a bust of Hitler, nazi-dressed models, swastika hangers, and lamps.
A statue of a naked warrior with a sword with his outstretched hand, which was once parked outside Hitler's berlin adviser, was also found, sculpted by Hitler's favorite sculptor, Arnaud Brecker.