Arrested by the East German secret police, the Stasi, Ackerman was released after convincing the police that he was a close friend of East German chief of state Erich Honecker.
The building was saved when Zoschke's widow Elfried appealed to Communist party boss Erich Honecker.
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According to La Cuarta, Sule held a friendship with important politicians such as Erich Honecker, Tony Blair, and Fidel Castro, throughout his life.
He succeeded Erich Honecker as leader of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and head of state in October 1989, but was ousted just under three months later amid the collapse of the communist regime.
As part of his military service in Stabsmusikkorps Bundeswehr, he played with at state receptions (eg. for Ronald Reagan and the only official reception of Erich Honecker in 1987).
However, after the issuing of arrest warrants for the former Head of State of East Germany Erich Honecker in 1991, he spent his last night on German soil at Sperenberg before being flown to Moscow the next day.