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In the heart of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the state's Interior Minister, Christian Pegel (SPD), is facing intense scrutiny following allegations of a controversial promotion and suspected embezzlement within his ministry.
The opposition, led by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has called for Pegel's resignation, accusing him of prioritizing political proximity and party loyalty over competence and performance in the promotion process. The AfD's faction chairman, Nikolaus Kramer, has described the situation as "hair-raising carelessness."
The controversy revolves around the promotion of a senior official, who is now among those being investigated. Ongoing criminal investigations against this official were reportedly known, which should have prevented the promotion. However, the relevant official has since waived his controversial promotion.
The state prosecutor's office in Schwerin has conducted searches in the interior ministry and the state office for central tasks and technology of the police, fire, and disaster protection. These searches are related to possible offenses in the procurement and distribution of protective equipment during the corona pandemic.
The opposition has expressed doubts about the conditions in the ministry. Due to omitted invoices to districts, the state may have lost 430,000 euros. The AfD's faction chairwoman, Constanze Oehlrich, finds the allegations in the mask affair serious and sees frequent errors in the awarding of top positions in the state administration.
However, the junior partner in the coalition, the Left Party, sees no scandal in the current situation. Their interior policy spokesman, Michael Noetzel, emphasizes that it is impossible to see a scandal that the opposition is so fanatically trying to create. He states that Pegel has shown unconditional transparency by providing detailed reports in the interior committee and answering all questions.
Noetzel also points out that a suspicion is not a conviction in a rule of law. He emphasizes that it must be clarified who is responsible for this and the necessary consequences must be drawn. The interior minister could not explain the basis for the assessment and urgency of the promotion.
The CDU spokesman, Sebastian Ehlers, has stated that the promotion process prioritized political proximity and party loyalty over competence and performance. The AfD's Noetzel, on the other hand, accuses the interior minister of misconduct and hair-raising carelessness in the handling of promotion and application practices.
Despite the ongoing investigations, it is currently unclear whether a specific person, linked to the disappearance of approximately half a million euros through prescriptions during the distribution of protective equipment, is being investigated.
This developing story is a significant test for the coalition government in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and raises questions about accountability and transparency within the state's administration.
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