Court order - Ministry must secure short messages on subsidy scandal
Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) and her ministry are required to secure all short messages in relation to the funding affair following a court order. This interim order was issued by the Cologne Administrative Court, as confirmed by a court spokesperson. Previously, "Spiegel" had reported on this.
The initiative "Ask the State" had filed an urgent application. The court spokesperson stated that the interim order is about a provisional measure, a review in the matter has not yet taken place. It is still open when the urgent application will be decided.
Deletion Ban by the Court
In the ruling, it is stated verbatim that the ministry is ordered "to ensure, until a final decision, that messages via the messaging service 'Wire (Federal)', which the Federal Minister, her personal staff, state secretaries and state secretaries-general, as well as the further leadership staff sent and received between early May and the end of June in relation to the funding affair, are not deleted." In particular, the self-deleting function of the messaging service should be deactivated.
A ministry spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing proceedings at the Administrative Court. An appeal against the ruling can be lodged at the Higher Administrative Court in Munster.
Background is the handling of criticism from university professors
The background to the affair is the handling of the ministry regarding an open letter from university professors on the Near East conflict. The professors had criticized the evacuation of a pro-Palestinian demonstrators' camp at Free University Berlin. This, in turn, had triggered criticism from Stark-Watzinger. In her opinion, "the terror of Hamas is being downplayed" in the letter.
Later, emails became known in which it emerged that someone at a high level in the ministry had requested an investigation into whether statements in the Berlin university professors' protest letter were legally relevant and if the ministry could consequently withdraw funding. This approach caused heated protests. Stark-Watzinger then dismissed State Secretary Sabine Doering, who had ordered the investigation.
- Bettina Stark-Watzinger, the Federal Research Minister from the FDP, is under court order to preserve all short messages related to the funding affair.
- The German Administrative Court in Cologne, following an urgent application by the initiative "Ask the State", issued this interim order, as confirmed by a court spokesperson.
- The court order demands that the Federal Government ensures no messages related to the funding affair, sent via the 'Wire (Federal)' messaging service, are deleted before a final decision is made.
- This court ruling in North Rhine-Westphalia comes after emails revealed a high-ranking ministry official requested an investigation into the Berlin university professors' protest letter about the Near East conflict.
- The FDP minister faced criticism for her stance on the professors' letter, which they deemed a downplay of Hamas terror, resulting in heated protests and the dismissal of State Secretary Sabine Doering.
- The Higher Administrative Court in Munster is the avenue for an appeal against this court order in the ongoing administrative processes.
