Was it money laundering?
Bundestag administration checks large donation to the AfD
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A few days before the Bundestag election, the AfD is faced with a new party donation affair. German and Austrian authorities suspect money laundering. Now the Bundestag administration is also becoming active.
The responsible control department of the Bundestag administration is currently carrying out a “factual statement” in connection with an AfD major donation from Austria. This was said by a spokesman for the “Spiegel”. The background is a payment of around 2.35 million euros. The AfD had given a former FPÖ official from Vorarlberg as a donor. However, according to research by “Spiegel”, “Standard” and ZDF, Austrian investigative authorities suspect that the ex-official was only a straw man to disguise the actual yellower.
The trace of the money leads to a controversial real estate billionaire who has already supported AfD politician Alice Weidel with hidden payments in the past. So-called Strohmann donations are prohibited according to the German Party Act. In the event of violations, there is a risk of a penalty payment of the amount of the donation.
Meanwhile, the AfD denies that he knew about the alleged straw man construction. “The AfD strictly adheres to the legal requirements in receiving party donations and also exchanges the Bundestag administration closely,” said a spokesman for party leader Alice Weidel.
So far, the party and the federal board have had no evidence that the former FPÖ official Gerhard Dingler was only a straw man. Before the donation, he informed the AfD on request that the money for the campaign “comes from his own assets” and that the payment “was not in particular on behalf of third parties,” said AfD boss Weidel's spokesman.
According to reports, there should be investigations in Austria that Dingler, as the official donor, is said to have received a gift of a similar amount from a third party. The latter is said to be the real estate billionaire Henning Conle from Duisburg.
Dingler is said to have supported the AfD hidden in the past. The Bundestag administration therefore imposed a punitive allowance of almost 400,000 euros against the party in 2020. Dingler, on the other hand, informed the AfD before the current donation that the money for the campaign “comes from its own assets” and that payment “was not in particular on behalf of third parties,” said a Weidel spokesman the previous day.
The Austrian authorities are now pursuing the suspicion of money laundering. The Federal Criminal Police Office and the State Protection and Intelligence Directorate are involved in the case.
