Property overfinanced
Transparency demands disclosure from Lindner
10/25/2022, 02:40 am
Finance Minister Lindner financed his semi-detached house in Berlin-Nikolassee with a loan from BBBank – and apparently got a lot more money than he needed for the purchase. This raises questions for the anti-corruption organization Transparency International.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency International has asked Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner to disclose the processes surrounding his purchase of private property in Berlin. According to the information available, the connection between the FDP politician and the BBBank, which is financing the house purchase, has “at least a taste,” said the Vice President of Transparency Germany, Margarete Bause, the editorial network Germany.
In particular, the fact that the registered land charge is significantly higher than the purchase price of the property raises questions. “From our point of view, it would therefore make sense for the minister to create transparency about his appearances and involvement with the bank as quickly as possible,” said Bause. This is the only way Lindner can “proactively eliminate” allegations regarding possible preferential conditions.
According to research by the news magazine “Der Spiegel”, Lindner is said to have bought a two-family house in the Berlin district of Nikolassee for 1.65 million euros at the beginning of 2021. The house purchase is said to have been financed by a loan from BBBank, for which Lindner is said to have previously given several lectures and received fees. In addition, Lindner is said to have been seen in an image video for the bank. According to “Spiegel”, the land charge for the house was set at a total of 2.8 million euros for the financing by the BBBank – that is significantly higher than the purchase price. Lindner himself has not yet commented on the events. His lawyer explained the high loan amount to the “Spiegel” with the fact that the property still had to be renovated.