- The Audit Court demands reimbursement from parliamentary factions.
The State Audit Office in Saxony-Anhalt is calling out the political groups within the state parliament for mismanaging financial resources. Approximately 100,000 euros, spanning the years 2012 to 2016, remain unreturned, according to State Audit Office President Kay Barthel. Auditors estimate a total misuse of 130,000 euros, with only a fraction of the misused funds returned so far.
The infractions encompass various areas; these include, but are not limited to, political promotions disguised as public relations events, unauthorized usage of official vehicles, and extravagant entertainment expenditures. Barthel cited an instance where faction leaders would attend their party's national conference using official vehicles, which he deemed inappropriate. "It's no longer about party work," he explained, noting that such trips should either be considered personal or should be covered by the political party itself.
Barthel placed blame on the President of the State Parliament, Gunnar Schellenberger (CDU), for not taking adequate measures to recoup the misused funds. Barthel lamented that Schellenberger and the parliamentary administration hadn't given the matter the attention it required. Schellenberger is reportedly under the impression that there's no explicit right to demand repayments yet. In response, the State Audit Office demands legislative changes, as otherwise, misappropriation of funds might go unpunished.
Some of the groups have conceded to misusing funds and have reimbursed their faction budget subsidies to the state treasury, ranging from 700 to approximately 20,000 euros. Barthel pointed out that some groups have almost fully reimbursed, while others have yet to return a single euro. This trend cannot persist, underscored Barthel. In other states, restitution policies are more stringent.
The faction budget subsidies have seen a marked increase over the past few years. In 2012, around 5.7 million euros were due, which rose to 9.1 million euros in 2021. This period has also witnessed a surge in the number of elected groups within the state parliament, with currently six groups – CDU, SPD, FDP, AfD, The Left, and Greens – holding representation.
The financial sector should closely monitor the situation in Saxony-Anhalt's political groups, given the significant misuse of faction budget subsidies in the financial sector. The financial sector might consider implementing stricter restitution policies based on the experiences of other states.
