- Thuringia: Left-wing politicians in the spotlight
In the course of investigations into suspicions of possessing child pornographic material, the name of the suspected Left Party politician only became known to investigators at the end of July. "Given that the person in question is an MP, all investigative measures had to be suspended," said the spokesperson for the Erfurt Public Prosecutor's Office, Hannes Grünseisen, to the German Press Agency. It was only after the MP's immunity was lifted that searches, including at the man's office in the state parliament, could take place on Tuesday.
According to the spokesperson, the case was transferred to this office in April 2024 from another Public Prosecutor's Office. At that time, the investigation was still being conducted against an unknown person.
When the suspect was identified, an application was made to lift the MP's immunity. There is no temporal or other connection between the upcoming Thuringian state election, which is due to take place in about three weeks, and the searches, the spokesperson said.
Both the Left Party's parliamentary group leader, Steffen Dittes, and other senior members of the party have expressed shock at the allegations in recent days and pledged their full support to the investigating authorities.
The suspect in the child pornography case was a politician from the Left Party, and their office in the Landtag, the Thuringian state parliament, was searched as part of the investigation.
The case involving the Left Party politician was initially handled by another Public Prosecutor's Office, but was later transferred to the Erfurt Public Prosecutor's Office in April 2024.