From BZ/dpa
The organization Lobbycontrol has criticized the Bundestag administration’s handling of a large donation of more than 800,000 euros for the Berlin CDU and presented a new report on the matter.
Party lawyer Sophie Schönberger came to the conclusion that the donation was “most likely” illegal, the organization announced on Saturday after the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported.
The Bundestag administration responsible for checking party donations declared in July after examining the donation that there had been no violation of the party law. A statement from the CDU dispelled the suspicions expressed in media reports.
In particular, indications of a possible fulfillment of the offense of an “influence donation” were not confirmed, so political decisions were not bought.
The real estate entrepreneur Christoph Gröner and his company transferred a total of 820,000 euros to the Berlin CDU in 2020 – i.e. in the year before the 2021 House of Representatives election. The CDU state chairman then, as now, was Kai Wegner, who has been the governing mayor since April.
Gröner’s public statements about the donation were interpreted as meaning that he expected something in return. Wegner and Gröner rejected the accusation of influencing in May after the events were discussed in the media.
Lobbycontrol now declared that, according to the report, the actions of the Bundestag administration were “legally inadmissible”. “It is worrying if the Bundestag administration stops its review of Mr. Gröner’s large donations to the Berlin CDU, even though Gröner has even publicly formulated his expectations.” And further: “We therefore call on the parties in Germany to ask the Bundestag administration to impose a Sanction to sue.”
The Bundestag defended its actions. Party donations that result in a party making decisions that would not have been made without the financial contribution are prohibited. But that was not the case with regard to the Berlin CDU, the administration explained on Saturday when asked by the dpa. Gröner’s statements have now been “comprehensibly corrected”.
CDU state manager Dirk Reitze referred on Saturday to the decision of the Bundestag administration with regard to the large donation. “There is nothing to add to that,” he told the German Press Agency.