Money laundering allegations - Authorities are likely to investigate the residence of AfD politician Petr Bystron in Berlin.
Recently, authorities conducted an investigation into claims of money laundering and bribery against Petr Bystron, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the Bundestag. This information was shared by the German Press Agency. The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that more searches were carried out in connection with these allegations to collect additional evidence.
The search involved Bystron's residence in Berlin, as well as other locations in the city. In May, authorities had already searched Bystron's parliamentary office in the Bundestag. They suspect that he received money to support pro-Russian content on the "Voice of Europe" website and promote Russian interests in the Bundestag. The Bundestag had lifted the politician's immunity for this search.
Bystron denies the allegations
At the time, Bystron denied the allegations and viewed the procedure as politically motivated. He stated that it would end "[when] the election is over," but as long as there is no legally binding conclusion, he is presumed innocent.
Just a few weeks before the investigation was to be suspended, Bystron's immunity was restored due to his new role as an EU MP. With this position, Bystron, who held the second position on the AfD's list in the election, now enjoys immunity again. Because of this, the investigative activities will need to be halted as soon as the Federal Electoral Council announces the official result of the European election in Germany, which is scheduled for July 3.
However, if the European Parliament does not lift Bystron's immunity, further investigations cannot proceed. Currently, Bystron faces growing criticism over these allegations. The AfD party leadership requested that he withdraw from the European election campaign. Bystron announced his absence from the election campaign due to family reasons, but shortly before the election, he participated in an AfD meeting in Nuremberg and is now becoming a member of the future AfD delegation.
Investigators' demands addressed
AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla addressed the affair on Monday, stating that Bystron made a solemn declaration in a meeting with the newly appointed EU MPs that he had not received any money and that all the allegations were false. This was demanded by some, even by other MPs, and was important in resolving the situation.
It is worth noting that the "Voice of Europe" has been criticized for promoting Russian interests, maintaining that it is merely a source of alternative information and not associated with any political party. However, the suspicions of money laundering and bribery against Bystron have not yet been fully addressed or cleared.
In essence, the future AfD delegation will include Bystron, who has announced his innocence despite the ongoing allegations. Since he regained immunity, the investigations into him have been halted and will only resume if the European Parliament lifts his immunity.
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Following the investigation, other searches were carried out at additional locations in Berlin to gather more evidence related to money laundering allegations against Petr Bystron, an AfD politician in the Bundestag. These accusations also include claims of bribery and support for pro-Russian content on the "Voice of Europe" website.
The corruption scandal surrounding Bystron has faced criticism within the AfD party, leading to calls for his withdrawal from the European election campaign. However, he denies the allegations and argues that the procedure against him is politically motivated.
Despite these allegations, the ongoing investigation into Bystron was put on hold due to his new role as an EU MP and the associated immunity. This has raised concerns about the potential for further money laundering activities to go unchecked.
