Monika Hohlmeier (CSU) defends herself in the mask deal affair – "I didn't ask for a commission"
Created: 05/10/2022, 10:30 am
By: Christian Deutschländer
Monika Hohlmeier, member of the European Parliament, sits as a witness in a meeting of the mask committee in the Bavarian state parliament.
© Matthias Balk/dpa
On Monday, Monika Hohlmeier defended herself in the committee of inquiry into the mask deals worth millions.
The MEPs only passed on information.
Munich – She smiles, no, she shines.
Monika Hohlmeier enters the room, greets him in a friendly manner and sits down straight on the witness chair.
She nods to journalists and waves to a fellow party member.
"Thank you very much for the invitation," she says.
It's not an invitation.
It's a subpoena.
And one suspects: Hohlmeier's sunny mood is played, albeit good.
The MEPs from the CSU are actually making an unpleasant, explosive appearance.
She is the first exciting witness of the investigative committee in the state parliament, which is supposed to clarify the multi-million dollar mask deals to the detriment of the state.
Hohlmeier should clarify her role, about which there are some questions.
In 2020, she brokered one of the most controversial deals for the Duz friend Andrea Tandler.
The latter probably earned 48 million euros in commissions from its partners by providing protective masks for government agencies – presumably overpriced at just under ten euros.
Hohlmeier says she didn't deserve it.
There are murmurs about this in the opposition.
The deals probably wouldn't have happened
Committee of inquiry into mask deals: Hohlmeier denies detailed knowledge
For Hohlmeier himself, but also for the CSU, which is already in serious turbulence, it would be fatal if the Strauss daughter had made money from the mask deals.
There is a sharp, tricky line: in times of scarcity, providing protective equipment to the state, or at least making contacts, is by no means reprehensible - politicians from several parties did that.
In the case of commissions, a moral break would be achieved immediately, think of the ex-CSU MPs Alfred Sauter and Georg Nüßlein.
Hohlmeier defends offensively.
She provided the public prosecutors (and thus also the state parliament) with the SMS traffic with Tandler and with Bavaria's then Minister of Health Melanie Huml (CSU), for pages.
As a witness, she complains of unjustified distrust in the direction of the opposition.
Here MPs would be "placed under the inadmissible general suspicion of only taking action for money".
That's not true.
"I didn't ask for a commission, nor was it offered to me." She didn't negotiate any contracts, didn't know any prices, but simply passed on information "that could potentially save lives".
knowledge of detail?
None, at the time she hardly knew what exactly constitutes an FFP2 mask.
Mask deals: Holhmeier knows about allegations - Tandler will be heard on Thursday
Roughly speaking, if things got dirty, then it was with Tandler and its Swiss suppliers, not with her.
So far, this has not been hard to refute in committee.
It is still uncomfortable when the confidential messages (“Hi Moni, hope you are doing great”) and kiss smileys are read out.
The 59-year-old explains the relationship between the politician's daughters and they have known each other since they were born.
The climate varies.
When asked by the opposition, the warm-hearted Ms. Hohlmeier is sometimes cool and curt, while the legal adviser next to her is alert.
Greens Committee Vice-President Florian Siekmann asks whether she wasn't taken aback, suspected of Tandler's commissions in the millions.
"No." When asked, she says that she broke off contact with Tandler when the commissions became known.
And when SPD leader Florian von Brunn asks about accounts abroad, it quickly becomes very quiet.
Tandler will be questioned on Thursday.
Presumably she will remain silent as one of the accused.
Later, Markus Söder and Jens Spahn, among others, have to appear before the committee.
(Christian Deutschlaender)