Go After the Big Spenders: AfD Wants to Make Ministers Pay for Notorious Blunders
Far-Right party, AfD, intends to hold Minister accountable for waste issues.
Get your hands in those pockets, Andreas Scheuer! According to the AfD, that's what you should do if you've wasted taxpayer money with a disastrous blunder. They're planning to change the rules for such instances of financial fiasco. Critics call it populism, but is there more to it?
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has set its sights on holding ex-federal ministers accountable if they recklessly or intentionally waste taxpayer money, as a bill proposes. This bill was brought to the attention of the German Bundestag during a meeting on Thursday evening. The proposed legislation would introduce the concept of liability for federal ministers in the event of a breach of duty.
Time and time again, as the bill states, the government makes decisions that end up costing taxpayers millions or even billions. The procurement scandal involving former Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn and the toll issue of ex-Federal Ministers of Transport Alexander Dobrindt and Andreas Scheuer are just a couple of examples.
According to the party, in both cases, the involved ministers showed at least gross negligence. Stephan Brandner, the AfD's parliamentary business manager, stated that this is a recurring problem throughout recent years, with these major mistakes made "for ideologically driven reasons."
"Dipping into the bottomless bucket of populism"
The proposal received criticism from the Greens. Lukas Benner, a member of the legal committee, argued that the bill suggests a leniency towards federal ministers that does not exist in reality. Already, federal ministers face criminal charges if they intentionally commit fraud or intentionally and immorally harm the treasury, he explained. A legal punishment has high hurdles, but there was no "deliberately state-damaging intent" in Scheuer's toll fiasco, as has been suggested. "This feels like a cheap grab from the bottomless bucket of populism," Benner stated.
Is it Populism or Something More?
While some question the intentions behind the proposal, certain parts of the AfD seem to have a thirst for what could be described as "revenge justice" once they gain power. According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's report on the upgrading of the AfD as a verifiably right-wing extremist party, several quotes can be seen as direct threats to political decision-makers.
For instance, Bjoern Hoecke, Thuringia's AfD state chairman, has been quoted as saying, "When we come, then it will be cleaned up. Then it will be cleared out." Gunnar Linnemann, who has represented the AfD in Berlin's House of Representatives since 2016, has threatened that a new government would "hold the responsible persons of the corona policy accountable." The party chairman, Tino Chrupalla, has also called for accountability in 2024, according to the report: "We will hold the old parties and their helpers to account."
Brandner Appeals to the Rule of Law
Regarding potential misuse of the proposed bill, AfD politician Brandner sees no risk. Trusting the rule of law - which he claims to have "partially" - makes the question of potential revenge justice irrelevant. Independent courts, not a successor government, would make the decisions involving civil liability.
The proposed legislation appears to be modeled after Bavaria's Minister Law, which holds ministers accountable for gross negligence or intentional misconduct, requiring them to compensate the state for any damages. However, this law has never been applied in practice.
Failed Accountability in Practice?
The failure to use the law in practice could be due to the difficulty in proving criminality. In the case of the procurement of masks by the ex-Minister of Health, the masks were in short supply during the tender, crucial during the pandemic, and bought above their actual market value. This makes it debatable whether a court would recognize gross negligence.
The AfD, however, does not plan to hold party leaders accountable for funds mismanaged within the party, according to Bernd Baumann, the First Parliamentary Business Manager of the faction. The members of the Bundestag argue that this issue regards state official liability and not internal party matters. In April, the AfD voluntarily deposited 2.35 million euros with the Bundestag administration due to fears of a fine following a suspected illegal party donation.
[1] ntv.de
- AfD
- German Bundestag
- Andreas Scheuer
- Road Toll
- The AfD's proposed legislation on holding ministers accountable for financial mismanagement can be seen as a step towards strengthening the rule of law in the European Union, as it aims to introduce liability for federal ministers in the event of a breach of duty.
- Critics, such as Lukas Benner from the Greens, argue that the bill is a "dipping into the bottomless bucket of populism", suggesting a leniency towards federal ministers that does not exist in reality, but the AfD politician Brandner disagrees, trusting the rule of law to ensure fair judgments.
