A top German rapper who recently became a dad of triplets has been charged with arson and could face up to 10 years in prison for setting his own rooftop on fire to get around restrictions on planning permission for the historic property and to claim the insurance money.
The controversial German rapper Bushido, real name Anis Ferchichi, 43, has been charged by the prosecutor’s office in Potsdam, which is a city near the capital Berlin, with arson, along with two other suspects.
News of the charges comes shortly after he welcomed triplet daughters together with his wife Anna-Maria Ferchichi, and he shared images online saying he was looking forward to many years of happiness together with the three girls and his wife.
But he could end up in jail instead after being accused of having hired two accomplices to set fire to his home in the plush town of Kleinmachnow, which is located on the outskirts of the capital Berlin, in December 2013.
Bushido’s home, a historic villa, was undergoing renovation work at the time and the 43-year-old, who already has an extensive criminal record, had allegedly hoped to remove the need to have planning permission on the historic building by causing fire damage that would force a rebuild the way he wanted it.
He had also allegedly hoped to get compensation from the insurance company, which has not been named.
He faces up to a decade in prison if convicted.
Bushido had already been handed a suspended sentence of 11 months for attempted fraud after he faked a break-in at an ornamental fish shop that he owned in 2014, demanding a six-figure payout from the insurance company.
The police started investigating the latest case based on information received from another trial against Bushido’s former business partner Arafat Abou-Chaker, who had recorded an interview with one of the alleged arsonists supposedly admitting that they had started the blaze deliberately.
The two former partners, the rapper and the clan chief, own property in Germany, which was raided over suspected tax fraud, and the Berlin clan chief Abou-Chaker is facing charges of extortion, bodily harm, coercion and deprivation of liberty after allegedly locking up Bushido in January 2018.
Bushido claims that he had to hand over millions from his music career to the clan boss and was kidnapped and threatened when he tried to end the supply of funds. He also revealed many of the details on how the former clan partners operate their criminal activities.
As a result of the incident, the roof of the building was seriously damaged and an initial investigation by the police has already indicated that the fire had been started deliberately.
A date for the trial has yet to be set.
