Door-Affair - Gatekeepers-Group: 16 Suspects from municipal offices environment
In the so-called Schleuser-Affair, according to previous knowledge, there are 16 suspects from the field of local authorities. These are employees of offices or municipal companies as well as service providers. This is evident from an answer of the North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Ministry to an AfD inquiry.
A Schleuser gang is suspected to have obtained a residence permit for Germany for wealthy people from China and Oman. The police searched apartments in eight federal states in connection with this in April. The investigators also suspect that alleged Schleusers may have bribed officials in authorities to obtain the desired residence permit for their clients from abroad.
According to the information, there are 187 suspects, one of whom is a functionary of a political party. The Solingen Mayor Tim Kurzbach (SPD) had already made public investigations against himself a month ago and at the same time declared his innocence.
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) was put in explanation due to the affair, as one of the alleged heads of the Schleuser gang supported his Landtag election campaign 2022 with a total of 30,000 Euro party donations and had met him several times. Reul had declared himself completely unaware.
- The allegations of corruption in the Schleuser-Affair have sparked discussions in the commune of Düsseldorf, where the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Justice is located.
- The AfD in North Rhine-Westphalia's state parliament has been vocal about the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) not being properly conducted for some office buildings and municipal projects, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
- Despite the ongoing investigations, some major German companies, including those in industries like China-Germany trade and technology, have shown their commitment to maintaining their offices in Düsseldorf, citing its strategic location and business-friendly environment.
- The Schleuser-Affair has also raised concerns about criminality and its impact on Germany's reputation as a country with low levels of corruption, especially in light of similar cases in other European countries.
- In an attempt to strengthen the fight against corruption, the Ministry of Justice in North Rhine-Westphalia has proposed an overhaul of the existing laws, aiming to tighten penalties for bribery and influence peddling, particularly in the context of local authorities and political parties like the AfD.
- The Omani embassy in Germany has expressed its concern over the Schleuser-Affair and has emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the immigration process, stating that it will cooperate fully with the German authorities in their investigations.
