CDU party in Magdeburg persists in granting contentious supplements, as discovered in a recent investigation by the Landtag
In a recent development, a police raid was conducted at the offices of the CDU, SPD, and AfD factions in the state parliament of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, due to suspicions of embezzlement. The investigation stems from allegations of unauthorized allowances being paid to party officials in the state parliament.
The controversy surrounds additional allowances paid to parliamentarians, with the CDU faction reportedly paying 66,000 euros in 2021 and 47,250 euros in 2022 for "special functions in the faction." The AfD faction documented around 25,600 euros in 2021, and 7,500 euros for the SPD faction.
The State Audit Office of Saxony-Anhalt had previously evaluated these payments as controversial, and in 2023, classified the payment of additional allowances to working group chairmen and deputy faction leaders as "constitutionally very questionable." The payments have been questioned constitutionally, with the State Audit Office stating that they are "not at all compatible" with the Saxony-Anhalt Parliamentary Act.
The total amount of these controversial allowances could be significantly higher than previously known, according to the State Audit Office. The evaluation of the seized documents will take some time to determine the exact figures.
The CDU parliamentary group justifies these payments with leadership tasks, but the heads of working groups in the CDU faction are also receiving these additional allowances.
The reopening of investigations was initiated after an appeal by the Taxpayers' Association of Germany, which had raised doubts about the legality of these payments. This led to the Magdeburg public prosecutor's office reopening investigations into the matter.
The State Audit Office's concerns were serious enough that the investigations could potentially lead to legal action. In 2020, the state parliamentary reform declared any additional allowances from faction funds as impermissible.
This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
The controversy over additional allowances paid to parliamentarians, a part of general news and policy-and-legislation, is currently under investigation in politics. The reopened investigations, led by the Magdeburg public prosecutor's office, stem from allegations of unauthorized allowances being paid to party officials, which have been questioned constitutionally by the State Audit Office of Saxony-Anhalt.
