In the year of the federal election, of all places, the Union is facing a massive problem.
The mask business scandal threatens to widen.
The Greens speak of “clan crime”.
The Union and the SPD had only just agreed on a lobby register - now the Union is threatened with a massive lobbying misery.
Large numbers of MPs may have been involved in questionable mask deals.
The party leaders of the CDU and CSU seem alarmed, the opposition spoke on Friday of "clan crime".
Berlin / Munich - In the year of the federal election, of all places, the Union is facing an ever-increasing lobby problem: It has since become known that, in addition to the CSU MP Georg Nüßlein, other MPs are involved in mask business.
The development is evidently a cause for concern among the party leaders: CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak reacted sharply, spoke of “enrichment” and called for a quick clarification.
Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU) also sharply condemned the mask business - CSU * General Markus Blume welcomed
Nüßlein’s withdrawal
in an interview with
Munich’s Merkur *
.
Mask scandal about Nüßlein and Co .: CSU General Blume finds business "outrageous"
"It is outrageous when MPs turn hardship into business," said Blume.
"This contradicts the values of the CSU fundamentally." Blume further emphasized: "We expect a complete clarification of the allegations and the assumption of personal responsibility for such misconduct." The announced withdrawal of Georg Nüßlein is "necessary and logical".
Nüßlein's lawyer announced on Friday that the 51-year-old would not run again in the federal election in September.
Nüßlein also resigned from the position of vice-chairman of the Union parliamentary group, which he had initially let rest.
Meanwhile, Nüßlein's lawyer again rejected the allegations made against his client.
Corona: mask shops at the Union - allegations against up to two dozen MPs
But the problem goes much further.
In the meantime, the CDU MP from Mannheim, Nikolas Löbel, has also confirmed participation in mask business and admitted errors *
"As a member of the Bundestag, I should have acted more sensitively in my business activities, especially in the particular pandemic situation," he said on request on Friday.
“I blame myself for this mistake.” As a consequence, Löbel withdrew from the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee.
Löbel's company had collected commissions of around 250,000 euros because it brokered purchase contracts for masks between a Baden-Württemberg supplier and two private companies in Heidelberg and Mannheim.
Löbel announced that this was a "remuneration that is customary in the market" for the Projektmanagement-GmbH.
He acted for the GmbH and not in the exercise of his mandate.
According to
Spiegel
, almost two dozen MPs could have got involved in the mask business, be it by advertising for suppliers to the federal government or by working to ensure that companies get their money.
Except for Löbel, however, all politicians have denied having received commissions or other considerations.
Most recently - for another reason - the immunity of CDU MP Axel Fischer was lifted.
CDU / CSU: Party leaders apparently alarmed - Brinkhaus and Dobrindt write to parliamentary group members
Brinkhaus and Dobrindt wrote on Friday to all members of the Union parliamentary group: "We therefore say very clearly that the receipt of cash benefits for the mediation of medical protective equipment as part of the fight against pandemics meets with our complete lack of understanding and is strongly condemned by us." They expected that such matters would be presented and clarified in a completely transparent manner.
"Such behavior does not meet our standards, damages the reputation of politics as a whole and is unacceptable."
CDU * General Secretary Ziemiak wrote on Twitter: "I find it deeply indecent that parliamentarians have enriched themselves with the procurement of masks in the worst crisis since the Second World War." And: "As Secretary General of the CDU, I expect this Misconduct is cleared up and completely eliminated.
Not at some point, but now. "It could not be" that individuals bring the whole Union and the hard work of all members of the German Bundestag and the Federal Government into disrepute. "
Mask scandal: Greens target the Union - “clan crime” instead of “individual cases”?
The processes were also discussed on Friday in a current hour in the Bundestag *.
"The CDU and CSU are responsible for tidying up their shop," said the First Parliamentary Managing Director of the Green Group, Britta Haßelmann.
“You are responsible for clearing up this black felt.” On Twitter, she explained that it was by no means “isolated cases”, as Ziemiak suggests: “It has a system”.
Party managing director Michael Kellner teased, "Fighting clan crime is getting a whole new dimension at the CDU / CSU, if you look at who is involved in which corruption or bribery scandals."
The parliamentary manager of the FDP, Marco Buschmann, said: "It costs us trust when the impression arises that some are filling their pockets here instead of working for the good of the German people." Criticism also came from the SPD.
There are now a number of such cases at the Union, said their MP Dirk Wiese.
“That is not acceptable.
And you can no longer speak of individual cases in your ranks.
It's a system. ”He expects this to be fully clarified.
Nüßlein case: Focus on orders from Spahn's Ministry and Bavarian health department
In the Nüßlein case, it has meanwhile become known that it involves orders from the Federal Ministry of Health and the Bavarian Ministry of Health, among others.
The former Bavarian Justice Minister Alfred Sauter has stated that in this context, as a lawyer, he has drawn up a contract for a mask business with the Ministry in Munich.
Sauter sits in the Bavarian state parliament and is CSU district chairman in Nüßlein's home district of Günzburg.
According to his lawyer Gero Himmelsbach, Nüßlein was involved in ordering FFP2 masks from public authorities through his own consulting company almost a year ago.
He made "several contacts between the federal procurement offices and potential contractors".
CSU deputy in distress: Nüßlein’s lawyer rejects allegations of bribery and tax evasion
"Due to long-term contacts with a Chinese supplier, Dr.
Nüßlein that high-quality masks could be delivered in the required number in difficult days, ”said Himmelsbach.
Nüßlein's consulting company received compensation for this.
However, he was not involved in decisions on the commissioning of deliveries or in contract negotiations.
The events also did not affect parliamentary activity.
"The allegations of bribery are therefore firmly rejected."
The lawyer also rejected the allegation of tax evasion.
Reports that the proceeds were not taxed as income are false.
"The accusation of the public prosecutor's office is rather that no sales tax has been declared," said the lawyer.
A sales tax, also known as sales tax, was not calculated or received.
Nüßlein's tax advisor had confirmed that the brokerage was exempt from sales tax.
The parliamentarian is being investigated because of the initial suspicion of corruption in connection with the purchase of corona masks.
The investigators had therefore searched 13 properties in Germany and Liechtenstein in the past week, including Nüßlein's office in the Bundestag and his constituency office in Günzburg, Swabia.
(
dpa / fn / cd
) *
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