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Frauke Petry in the Bundestag
Photo: Wolfgang Kumm / dpa
The former AfD chairwoman Frauke Petry accuses the current top staff of the party with serious violations of the party law.
You know that AfD boss Jörg Meuthen has directed illegal donations from the controversial real estate billionaire Henning Conle "past the official party committees in illegal channels," said Petry the ZDF magazine "Frontal 21" and the research center "Correctiv".
According to Petry, the money was to be used primarily to strengthen the AfD's Facebook presence for the 2017 federal election.
In addition to Meuthen, Petry also accuses Alice Weidel, the top candidate for the federal election, of accepting illegal donations, which she has always refused.
"What was taboo for me was obviously not for others," Petry told the media.
In response to a request from SPIEGEL, Meuthen rejected Petry's allegations.
Petry pretends to "have knowledge of something that is not true," said the AfD boss.
Meuthen said nothing about any contacts with billionaire Conle, saying "basically nothing about personal contacts."
Weidel's press spokesman Daniel Tapp also rejected Petry's allegations.
"Ms. Petry's allegations are unheard of," he told SPIEGEL.
“For her, the focus is obviously on distracting from her own misconduct and, for PR reasons, covering Ms. Weidel with untenable accusations.
She probably needs a fanatic to promote her little book. "Petry's book" Requiem for the AfD "will be published on Friday.
Concealed election campaign aids for Meuthen, Weidel and other top politicians had already brought the AfD six-figure penalties from the Bundestag administration: In the Meuthen case, the fine was around 270,000 euros, in the Weidel case almost 400,000 euros.
Contact in Switzerland
According to the former party leader, the donations that Petry is now talking about should above all strengthen the AfD's Facebook presence for the 2017 federal election.
"According to my information, the potential supporter is Henning Conle," said Petry "Frontal21" and "Correctiv": "The money to support the social media activities probably flowed through the Swiss Goal AG."
The ex-AfD chairwoman also substantiates the allegations in her book.
It says: "Goal AG financed the work in the digital media extensively for around a year." It also states that the party leadership has made "contact with Goal AG and Conle".
Petry wants to present her book in the Paul-Löbe-Haus of the Bundestag.
The presentation is one of her last appointments in the House of Representatives - after four years she is not running for the Bundestag again.
The 46-year-old was next to Bernd Lucke and Konrad Adam 2013 founding chairman of the AfD, a year later she moved into the Saxon state parliament.
Together with Höcke, Petry moved the AfD further to the right, and in 2015 she became party leader.
After the 2017 federal election, Petry resigned from the chairmanship and left the party - the extremes of the »wing« had overtaken them.
A new start with the »Die Blauen« party she founded failed.
mrc / sev / srö
