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Flood damage in the Ahr Valley
Photo: Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
The Ministry of Defense is investigating in-house about possible irregularities in the Bundeswehr's flood aid in the summer of 2021. According to internal information, a department head is said to have made several calls in mid-July to guide a Bundeswehr aid unit including an emergency generator to her private home in Kirchsahr in the Ahr Valley.
There, the soldiers were supposed to clean the mud from the conservatory of the damaged building after the flood disaster and were therefore unable to help with much more severely damaged houses in the region.
The legal department has been conducting inquiries about the information since the end of October;
according to an initial assessment, the process could even be relevant under criminal law.
The Ministerial Director is responsible for supplying the barracks and for the Bundeswehr infrastructure.
The ministry declined to comment on the case in detail.
A spokeswoman said only "that if there is any suspicion of possible misconduct in the office, investigations will be initiated".
The officer herself declined to answer questions about the case.
In another case, the Bundeswehr is already investigating irregularities in flood aid: a lieutenant colonel is said to have given his superior general preferential treatment.
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