They have been speaking for years, primarily by legal professionals, and meet time and again in courtroom – now the dispute over the sale of the previous Salzland Clinics years in the past has reached the subsequent degree of escalation. The Swiss firm Ameos is now threatened with enforcement measures. The district administrator has initiated the obligatory enforcement, the district introduced on the request of the German Press Agency.
The background is a year-long monetary dispute that goes again to the sale of the Salzland Clinics to Ameos. The Salzlandkreis continues to be entitled to three.8 million euros plus curiosity in a second installment. The whole is now greater than six million euros. According to dpa data, greater than 1,000 euros in curiosity are added day-after-day.
Nothing occurred for months
The claims have been confirmed in courts in a number of situations. Following a call by the Federal Court of Justice in August, the district has an enforceable title. In the previous few months, the district had requested the corporate to make the fee a number of occasions.
When it took over the Salzlandkreis clinics in 2011/2012, Ameos paid a big a part of the acquisition value; the primary installment was 26 million euros. But a second installment was made depending on the clinics’ annual leads to 2011 – as a result of the corporate and the district had totally different opinions on the quantity of the end result, authorized disputes arose.
Are property seized?
The Salzlandkreis has now commissioned a Swiss regulation agency to implement the claims in opposition to the guardian firm in Zurich. According to the convention of debt enforcement and chapter officers, the accountable debt enforcement workplace in Switzerland can subject a fee order for this. If Ameos doesn’t pay, property might be seized.
According to dpa data, Ameos has threatened to limit provide within the Salzland district in current months if the district continues to insist on fee. The group had additionally requested for fee in installments.
District: Payment in installments will not be doable
However, a deferral of the second buy value installment will not be doable from an area regulation perspective, the Salzlandkreis mentioned upon request. “The company has informed the Salzlandkreis through a lawyer that the guarantor named in the purchase agreement has sufficient funds to pay the second purchase price installment.” A deferral could be inadmissible support below EU regulation, it was mentioned.
Ameos operates a number of places in Saxony-Anhalt, within the Salzland district, for instance in Aschersleben, Bernburg and Schönebeck. For years individuals in politics and administration have been dissatisfied with how issues have gone for the reason that sale to Ameos. Because it is not simply concerning the second buy value installment – there’s additionally a dispute about funding commitments.
Ameos doesn’t reply questions
As a part of the acquisition, Ameos promised to speculate round 144 million euros within the clinics. When requested by dpa, the corporate didn’t reply how a lot cash has been paid up to now.
The firm didn’t present every other particular details about the battle. An Ameos spokeswoman mentioned it’s an ongoing course of that isn’t being commented on. The firm additionally left the query open as as to whether Ameos will preserve inpatient care within the clinics within the Salzland district in 2026.
Will the clinics be returned to the district?
District Administrator Markus Bauer (SPD) not guidelines out the clinics returning to public possession. There had already been the same case in Saxony-Anhalt in current months. Since March 1, 2026, the clinic in Zerbst has not been operated by Helios, however by the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district. Bauer held preliminary discussions with representatives of the state authorities.
The SPD politician emphasised that that they had at all times reached out to Ameos and advocated for the framework situations that have been needed for sustainable hospital care. “If there are indications that the requirements according to hospital planning based on the Saxony-Anhalt Hospital Act are no longer being met in the Salzlandkreis, the Salzlandkreis will stand by its legal obligation and will take over the task of inpatient health care itself again.”
It is unclear how the district would financially shoulder such a problem. The scenario is tense, there are outdated money owed amounting to round 17 million euros. According to the plan, the deficit this 12 months is 35.8 million euros. But Bauer made it clear that if the worst involves the worst, there needs to be a method. “There should be no restrictions in this area of public service. Stable, sustainable hospital care is a social obligation,” mentioned the district administrator.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:260414-930-945382/3
https://www.zeit.de/news/2026-04/14/salzlandkreis-leitet-zwangsvollstreckung-gegen-ameos-ein