Bundestag to demand 2.5 million euro fine from CDU

The Left - Bundestag to demand 2.5 million euro fine from CDU

The Left Party has called on the Bundestag administration to impose a fine of almost 2.5 million euros on the CDU due to large donations made by a businessman to the Berlin CDU. If necessary, the party reserves the right to take legal action, said Left Party state chairman Maximilian Schirmer in Berlin on Monday.

The case concerns a donation of 320,000 euros from real estate entrepreneur Christoph Gröner and another of 500,000 euros from Gröner Family Office GmbH to the Berlin state association of the CDU in 2020. In a letter to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas dated 2 December, lawyers for the Left pointed out that Gröner himself had mentioned quid pro quo for these donations in interviews. According to the letter, Gröner said on Deutschlandfunk radio: "I set three conditions for the CDU."

This created the "impression that politics can indeed be for sale", said Schirmer. The total of 820,000 euros would have been available to Berlin CDU leader Kai Wegner during the election campaign. "A donation of this amount is not a trivial matter and can decide elections," said Schirmer. According to a legal opinion by the Lobby Control association, it was an "illegal expected donation".

Paragraph 25 of the Political Parties Act states that "donations that are clearly given to the party in expectation of or in return for a certain economic or political advantage" are not permitted. The penalty demanded by the Left Party refers to Section 31c of the Political Parties Act. This states that in the event of unlawful donations to a party, "a claim shall arise against the party in the amount of three times the unlawfully obtained sum".

Lobbycontrol expert opinion Lobbycontrol press release dated 9.9. Section 25 of the Political Parties Act Section 31c of the Political Parties Act

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1. The demand for a penalty payment of nearly 2.5 million euros by The Left Party towards the CDU is due to substantial donations received by the Berlin CDU from businessman Maximilian Schirmer mentioned that legal action may be taken if needed.
2. The controversy revolves around donations totaling 820,000 euros given by real estate entrepreneur Christoph Gröner and Gröner Family Office GmbH to the Berlin CDU association in 2020, with Gröner himself admitting to setting conditions for these donations in interviews.
3. The Left Party criticized these donations, stating that they created the impression that politics can be bought, with Left Party state chairman Maximilian Schirmer highlighting that such a large donation can significantly influence elections.
4. The penalty demanded by The Left Party aligns with Section 31c of the Political Parties Act, stipulating that the party should be liable to pay three times the unlawfully obtained sum in case of illegal donations.
5. Thecase underlines the importance of adhering to the Political Parties Act, specifically Paragraph 25, which decrees that donations given with the expectation of or in return for a certain advantage are unacceptable, according to a legal opinion by Lobby Control.

Source: www.stern.de