Taxpayers' association files criminal charges against CDU parliamentary group
The taxpayers' association in Saxony-Anhalt has filed a criminal complaint against the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament on suspicion of misappropriation of taxpayers' money. The background to this are allowances paid by the parliamentary group for certain functions, the taxpayers' association announced on Monday. In total, payments amounting to at least 113,250 euros are involved.
As part of a parliamentary reform in 2020, it was stipulated that only the president of the state parliament, the vice presidents, the parliamentary group chairmen and the parliamentary directors would receive additional compensation for their functions. Additional payments for special parliamentary functions from parliamentary group funds are not permitted, explained the Taxpayers' Association. An examination of the CDU parliamentary group's accounts revealed that the group had reported corresponding payments of 66,000 in 2021. In 2022, there were further payments amounting to 47,250 euros.
The State Court of Auditors had already criticized this summer that such payments were not compatible with the Members of Parliament Act in Saxony-Anhalt. Research by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur revealed in July that only the CDU pays allowances to its deputy parliamentary group leader, its deputy parliamentary secretary and its political spokespersons. All other parliamentary groups in the state parliament had stated on request that they would not pay such allowances.
The CDU parliamentary group chairman, Guido Heuer, stated that the parliamentary group was not aware of any criminal charges having been filed. It was therefore not possible to comment on the ongoing investigation. "The CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt has always kept the state parliament administration properly informed about income and expenditure."
The criminal complaint against the CDU parliamentary group raises questions about the party's adherence to financial regulations in parliament. Under the 2020 parliamentary reform, only specific positions were allowed to receive additional compensation for their functions, with payments for special parliamentary functions from parliamentary group funds being prohibited.
The taxpayers' association and the State Court of Auditors have both highlighted concerns about the CDU's allowance payments, with the former claiming that reported payments for 2021 and 2022 exceeded the permitted amount. This issue has divided parliamentary groups in the state parliament, with only the CDU group reportedly paying such allowances to certain positions.
Source: www.dpa.com
