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Olaf Scholz accuses Armin Laschet of deliberately creating the wrong impression
Photo: Daniel Lakomski / imago images / Jan Huebner
Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet accuses his SPD competitor Olaf Scholz of not having performed his supervisory duties in matters of money laundering as finance minister.
"If my finance minister worked like you, we would have a serious problem," says Laschet in the second TV triad of the three candidates for chancellor, addressed to Scholz.
(You can find the live blog about the Triell here.)
The background to the dispute is a raid in the Ministry of Finance because of alleged misconduct in the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the money laundering special unit of the customs.
Laschet also criticized Scholz for criticizing the public prosecutor's investigation.
It is also not the first case in which Scholz has not taken responsibility.
It was similar with Wirecard.
Laschet said that he would like Scholz to "take over responsibility" as minister.
"Intentionally wrong impression"
Scholz countered Laschet's statements with the accusation that the Union candidate was deliberately twisting facts.
“Mr. Laschet, you must be reproached for that, of course.
You deliberately gave this wrong impression, «said Scholz.
) The raid in the Federal Ministry of Finance led by Scholz had nothing to do with the house, the public prosecutor was in the ministry because they needed information.
In investigations against those responsible at the FIU, the Osnabrück public prosecutor had the Federal Ministry of Finance and Justice searched on Thursday.
Documents were also confiscated, as the public prosecutor announced.
Since last year, the public prosecutors have been investigating a suspicion that the FIU has thwarted punishment in office.
The central office, which is part of the Ministry of Finance, is said to have not passed on information from banks about money laundering to the police and the judiciary.
Customs is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The third participant in the round, Green top candidate Annalena Baerbock, did not comment directly on the raid.
Rather, she pointed out that the state lost 50 billion euros in taxpayers' money every year through criminal activities.
svs / ulz