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Former health senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD): suspicion of accepting benefits
Photo: Annette Riedl / dpa
The Berlin public prosecutor's office is investigating the suspicion of accepting benefits against the former health senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD).
This was confirmed by the public prosecutor's office when asked by SPIEGEL.
The "Tagesspiegel" reported first.
It is about a possibly questionable contract award by the health administration to a Berlin communications agency.
The background: In 2020, Kalayci's senate administration commissioned a communications agency with a campaign to inspire young people to take up nursing professions.
According to the public prosecutor, the same agency had already commissioned Kalayci privately in 2019.
However, no invoice was paid for this private order, and perhaps not even one was issued.
There is now a suspicion that Kalayci influenced the awarding of contracts by the Senate administration.
The public prosecutor's office is therefore investigating against Kalayci for accepting an advantage and against the owner of the agency for granting an advantage.
The presumption of innocence applies to both.
A law firm commissioned by Dilek Kalayci told SPIEGEL: "We assume that the facts will be clarified and the proceedings will be discontinued."
According to the public prosecutor, the process has been running since mid-November 2021. At that time, Kalayci was still in office and the new Senate was only constituted in December.
A friend of Kalayci's party also works for the agency as a senior project manager.
However, he is not accused, the public prosecutor's office uses him as a witness.
Investigators came across Kalayci's order because of other allegations
Investigators became aware of the contract when they were investigating against the agency for other reasons.
There have been allegations of fraud against the owner of the agency.
In the course of these investigations, officials became aware of Kalayci's 2019 order.
According to prosecutors, Kalayci is not connected to the other investigations.
In this second case, the public prosecutor's office is investigating an employee of the Senate Labor Office and an official in a Berlin chamber.
Dilek Kalayci has been a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since 2001 and Senator for Labor from 2011 to 2016.
She then served as Senator for Health until the end of 2021.
Before the September 2021 election, Kalayci had announced that he would not run for mandate and office again.
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