After international research into the abuse of honorary consul titles, the call for reforms across factions in German politics is getting louder and louder.
Security politician Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU) told SPIEGEL that "the system that invites abuse" must be abolished or redesigned, "if only for reasons of our own security interests."
Members of other parties made similar statements.
The Bundestag member Sebastian Fiedler (SPD) calls for "the entire system of honorary consuls to be put to the test in view of the extent of the abuse of diplomatic protection".
The systematic exploitation for criminal purposes must be stopped because it is "not about isolated cases," says Fiedler.
Drug dealers, arms dealers, murderers
The chairwoman of the Defense Committee in the Bundestag, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), is also calling for reforms.
Some honorary consuls behaved “as if there were no rules for them, as if they were immune to everything.
Whether that can be changed would be an interesting question«.
According to the former member of parliament for the left, Fabio de Masi, countries like Germany should “as far as possible refrain from outsourcing consular tasks to honorary consuls and invest in diplomatic infrastructure”.
More than 100 journalists from all over the world revealed on Monday evening under the title "Shadow Diplomats" how the system of honorary diplomats is apparently being systematically abused.
The international research team, which in Germany includes SPIEGEL, NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, identified more than 500 current or former honorary consuls who were or are involved in criminal cases, scandals or official investigations.
Among them are convicted drug dealers, arms dealers, sex offenders and even murderers.
Baggage is suddenly untouchable
While honorary consuls do not enjoy as many privileges as career diplomats, they are sometimes given consular car registration plates and often special passports that can make entry and exit easier.
What could be particularly attractive for criminals: Honorary consuls can declare at their discretion that certain documents, pieces of luggage and also premises are related to their consular work - which means that they can no longer be searched easily.
"The moment an honorary consul tells the police that certain documents relate to his office as honorary consul, they are blocked," says Hans-Joachim Heintze, law professor at the Ruhr University in Bonn.
According to research by the Shadow Diplomats team, honorary consuls have regularly attempted to evade criminal investigations by referring to their voluntary work.
Request for security clearance
In response to the publications, federal politicians are bringing possible reforms such as a security check into play in addition to a general abolition of the system.
This could at least minimize risks, according to SPD politician Fiedler.
On the other hand, honorary consuls should refrain entirely from doing voluntary work, demands CDU man Kiesewetter.
This could "lead to conflicts of interest in other professions".
Ex-MP De Masi calls for investigations against honorary consuls to be made easier in general.
"Diplomatic immunity is a valuable asset to protect against political harassment," said De Masi.
There should be no “flat rate diplomacy”.
The Greens MEP Rasmus Andresen, on the other hand, would not do without honorary consuls, but emphasizes that one must “formulate common objectives and establish criteria at the level of the European Union and the United Nations in order to avoid conflicts of interest”.
The Federal Republic of Germany currently uses the services of 324 honorary consuls.
Entrepreneur Tania Kramm da Costa, who represented Germany in Brazil, was dismissed from office after SPIEGEL alerted the Federal Foreign Office that a Brazilian court had accused her of a blatant conflict between private and public interests.
When asked about the allegations of “lies”, Kramm da Costa spoke.
The removal of honorary consuls rarely happens.
Only three German honorary consuls have been recalled in the past ten years.
And that despite the fact that numerous German honorary consuls have been promoting dubious constructs in recent years with the aim of avoiding or evading taxes.
Some of them helped found shell companies, some even owned one themselves.
In short: you helped to deprive the Federal Republic of tax revenue.
In 2018, the »Süddeutsche Zeitung« and Bayerischer Rundfunk reported on several specific cases of honorary consuls with corresponding connections – all of whom were allowed to remain in office.
It was not until three years later that one of them was dismissed from office - not because of his offshore involvement, but for reasons of age.
Illustration: Lina Moreno
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