Minister of Justice is said to have urged applicants to withdraw
NRW Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach (Greens) is said to have urged two candidates for the top position at North Rhine-Westphalia's Higher Administrative Court to withdraw. This was reported by the "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" (Thursday).
Specifically, in September 2022, Limbach is said to have asked a head of department in his ministry, who wanted to become OVG President, not to pursue his application any further. The top civil servant is said to have reacted with irritation and immediately called in a lawyer.
At the beginning of November 2022, the Green politician is said to have told a federal judge who was also interested that they had "a better candidate" and that he should withdraw. At the time of these talks, however, there was no assessment of the supposedly "better one" from the Ministry of the Interior, reported the "WAZ".
A department head from the NRW Ministry of the Interior, with whom Limbach said she was on friendly terms, as well as with another of the applicants, had been awarded the contract. She was responsible for church issues in the NRW Ministry of the Interior.
Two court cases against her are still pending. Administrative courts in Münster and Düsseldorf had stopped the appointment in the first instance. The court in Münster even accused Limbach of "manipulative" proceedings. The Higher Administrative Court itself must now decide on the matter.
The NRW Ministry of Justice acknowledged the talks on request, the "WAZ" further reported. Limbach had asked the head of department to continue his "very successful work" at the ministry. In turn, Limbach had asked the federal judge "to examine whether he would maintain his application in light of the overall applicant situation".
Limbach had assured the state parliament that there had been no political influence on the appointment procedure. Spokespersons for the NRW Ministry of Justice announced a statement on Thursday in response to a dpa inquiry.
The SPD and FDP opposition factions in the state parliament announced another special meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee on Thursday and renewed their demands for Limbach's resignation. "We have long since reached the limit," said SPD parliamentary group deputy leader Elisabeth Müller-Witt. "If the Minister of Justice does not leave of his own accord, it is the duty of Minister President Hendrik Wüst to dismiss him," said the FDP.
The Government's involvement in the withdrawal of applicants for the top position at the North Rhine-Westphalia's Higher Administrative Court, as urged by the Minister of Justice, raises questions about the integrity of the selection process. The Parliament, in response, is demanding accountability and calls for the Minister of Justice's resignation.
Source: www.dpa.com
