Allegations challenged by Caroline Bosbach; questions linger unanswered
In the political landscape of Germany, CDU Bundestag member Caroline Bosbach finds herself embroiled in a controversy surrounding party funds. The accusations, stemming from a joint investigation by Stern magazine and RTL/NTV, allege that Bosbach privately pocketed 2500 euros from CDU Rhein-Berg funds[1].
The investigation revolves around an election helper, referred to as "Paul", who is said to have written an invoice for the CDU and handed over the money in cash to Bosbach[2]. On July 10, "Paul" called the business manager and explained the situation from his perspective, followed by a self-disclosure with the police on the same day[3].
Ralf Höcker, Bosbach's lawyer, vehemently denies the accusations, labelling them as false and deliberately constructed by a dismissed former employee of Bosbach, referred to as "Franz", as part of a perceived "perfidious revenge campaign"[4]. Höcker also mentions that "Paul" has been instrumentalized by "Franz" in this campaign.
The CDU district association, upon discussing the case on July 25, demanded the repayment of the 2500 euros from "Paul"[5]. However, the reason why Bosbach accepted the money in cash from "Paul" remains unclear.
The local executive committee of the CDU did not issue a vote of confidence for Bosbach, and the state chairman Henrik Wüst also remained silent on the matter[6]. The CDU district association has sent all documents related to the payment for independent review by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Cologne, with Cologne chief public prosecutor Ulrich Bremer now assessing the whole matter[7].
Bosbach reacted on Instagram, stating that a dirty campaign is being run against her[8]. Ralf Höcker, in a statement, argued that this transfer of money cannot be considered a repayment to the CDU as Bosbach did not receive money from the CDU in the first place[9].
The CDU is entitled to keep the transferred money and can decide internally whether to record it as damages or a donation from Bosbach[10]. As of late July 2025, the current status is that the investigation is ongoing, but no final findings or outcomes have been publicly disclosed yet[1]. The CDU Rhein-Berg district board is relying on the Public Prosecutor's Office for clarification and legal evaluation of the proceedings.
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- Amidst the political landscape of Germany, the controversy surrounding CDU Bundestag member Caroline Bosbach's alleged misuse of party funds has also drawn attention in the realm of general-news, with crime-and-justice aspects surfacing, as the investigation revolves around an election helper's cash transaction with Bosbach.
- The CDU Rhein-Berg district association, seeing the severity of the allegations, has sent all documents related to the payment for independent review by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Cologne, merging general-news with crime-and-justice sectors, as the officers in Cologne assess the whole matter.
