Investigations in donation affair: AfD boss Meuthen should lose immunity


Investigation into donation affair
AfD boss Meuthen should lose immunity

The pressure on Jörg Meuthen in the AfD donation affair is growing. After preliminary investigations, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office now apparently wants to lift the party leader’s immunity. A corresponding application should already be available in Brussels.

In the affair of illegal party donations from Switzerland, AfD federal chairman Jörg Meuthen is apparently threatened with criminal investigations. As the “Spiegel” reports, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office has applied for Meuthen’s immunity as a member of the European Parliament to be lifted. Accordingly, several sources familiar with the incident reported unanimously that a request had been made to the EU Parliament.

According to the information, the public prosecutor sees an initial suspicion of a criminal act in connection with the acceptance of illegal party donations against the AfD boss. A spokesman for the authorities confirmed to the “Spiegel” on request that a “media-known issue concerning the federal spokesman of the AfD Jörg Meuthen” had been legally examined for a long time. The spokesman did not want to comment on the result or the possible lifting of Meuthen’s immunity. Meuthen himself could not be reached for a statement to the magazine.

According to “Spiegel” information, the investigation is about disguised campaign aids for the PR company Goal AG. The Swiss company supported Meuthen in the state election campaign in Baden-Württemberg in 2016 with an advertising campaign costing 90,000 euros. When the Bundestag administration asked about the financiers of the campaign, the party submitted an obviously falsified list of donors. The Bundestag administration then assessed the campaign as an illegal campaign donation and imposed a heavy fine on the party.

Should the European Parliament grant the Berlin public prosecutor’s motion to repeal, the way would be free for criminal investigations against Meuthen. Formally, the request from the public prosecutor’s office is first sent to the President of Parliament, David Sassoli. He informs the plenary session of the receipt of the application and forwards it to the Legal Affairs Committee. He can get more information in Germany and listen to Meuthen about the allegations.

The committee then decides in a secret ballot which decision to recommend to the plenary. The MPs have the last word: They have to decide with a simple majority whether the immunity of the AfD boss is lifted.

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