Müllermilch entrepreneur - Theo Müller confirms meeting with AfD leader Alice Weidel
According to a media report, dairy entrepreneur Theo Müller has confirmed contact with the AfD for the first time. Müller admitted to the Handelsblatt newspaper on Thursday that he had met AfD leader Alice Weidel a few weeks ago at a private dinner in a luxury restaurant in Cannes, France. According to the newspaper, a spokesperson for Weidel also confirmed the meeting.
"Purely private": "Müllermilch" entrepreneur Theo Müller confirms meeting with AfD leader Weidel
Müller also told Handelsblatt that it was not the first meeting. Another meeting with the AfD politician is also planned for the end of the year. "During the talks with Dr. Weidel, I was interested in the AfD's programme and her personal views on current politics," Müller told the newspaper. During the exchange, he found "not the slightest indication" that would suggest a Nazi ideology. That would be "an absolute no-go" for him.
Müller also said that he does not support the AfD with donations, either personally or at company level. According to the newspaper, a spokesperson for Weidel also said that the party had not received any donations from Müller or his entourage. The meeting between Müller and Weidel was of a "purely private nature".
The AfD is being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in several federal states; in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the party is classified as right-wing extremist.
Rumors about Müller's connections to right-wing circles have persisted since the 1980s
Rumors about Müller's alleged sympathies towards right-wing parties have persisted since the late 1980s. In the fall of 1989, the scene magazine "Wiener" reported that Müller was prepared to support the then up-and-coming party "Die Republikaner" with large sums of money. The "Wiener" author Michael A. Konitzer explained that Müller had announced in a conversation with him: "I will donate. That's for sure. You will be satisfied." This was reported by "Die Zeit", among others.
Even after the subsequent legal dispute, Konitzer stuck to his version. "Müllermilch" had tried in vain to obtain a cease-and-desist declaration. According to "Wiener", Theo Müller insisted that he had only made the promises under certain conditions, such as the Republicans' political eligibility. In 1989, "Wiener" claimed to be a "circle of friends of the German Republicans" and contacted numerous major industrialists to test their willingness to donate to the right-wing party.
The "Wiener" report was apparently also the starting point for the myth that "Müllermilch" supported the right-wing extremist minor party NPD. The company denied the allegations from the outset, as reported by the "taz" newspaper, among others. Rumors that Müller had secretly donated to the party via black coffers were also never confirmed. This would have come to light in 2008 at the latest, when the public prosecutor's office searched the NPD headquarters because they suspected the party treasurer of embezzlement, according to the "taz".
However, Müller is no stranger to party donations. In 2005, he transferred 20,000 euros to the CDU, according to "taz". The dairy entrepreneur is himself a member of the CSU.
Müller is criticized for his "tax avoidance strategy". He has allegedly been living in Switzerland since 2003 in order to save 200 million euros, which would be due as gift and inheritance tax if he left the company to his children, according to the magazine "Neues Deutschland". He wants to invest the money in his loved ones instead of giving it to the state. According to "Bild", Müller's assets amount to around 4.5 billion euros.
Müller is known for the Theo Müller group of companies of the same name. This includes brands such as "Müllermilch", the "Weihenstephan" dairy and "Landliebe".
Sources: AFP,"Die Zeit","taz","Neues Deutschland","Handelsblatt"
Lesen Sie auch:
Source: www.stern.de
