Toepffer suggests that Weil could have prevented a committee of inquiry.

Legislative body reopens debates. - Toepffer suggests that Weil could have prevented a committee of inquiry.

According to Dirk Toepffer, a CDU politician, Stephan Weil, the Minister President of Niedersachsen (SPD), could've prevented the Parliamentary Investigation Committee concerning Salary Plus for one of his aides. In an interview with "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), Toepffer shared his thoughts: "I am certain that this investigation committee could've been skipped. If the Minister President had been more open to opposing views, matters could've been managed differently."

Following the questioning of the initial witnesses, Toepffer delivered his initial thoughts. He expressed, "In this case, there were indeed miscalculations that I can't comprehend."

During the time of the grand coalition in Lower Saxony, Toepffer understood that there was "a very efficient and well-coordinated control system" in the state chancellery, which should've prevented such mishaps. He was also acquainted with Jörg Mielke, the head of the state chancellery, as someone who would operate "very carefully." "In this situation, it's evident that a mechanism has been disrupted. I don't understand why," said Toepffer in a chat with NOZ.

Lower Saxony's Finance Minister, Gerald Heere, was summoned as a witness in the investigation committee on Thursday. He mentioned he was unfamiliar with the Weil aide before her appointment and gathered knowledge about the employee during the budget draft last summer. He was not linked to the retroactive salary hike.

The committee is examining the question of whether the increased salary for the woman was lawful. The CDU opposes the move, calling it a "salary scandal" since the regulations of long-established administrative practice supposedly were altered for a single person. The state chancellery refuted the claim that the larger payment was illegal. In conjunction with the increased salary of Weil's significant aide, the public prosecutor's office in Hanover has been probing since this week, suspecting embezzlement against unknown individuals.

Read also:

1. In response to these allegations, Stephan Weil, the Minister President of Lower Saxony, has remained silent, staying true to his party, the SPD.
2. The investment committee in Parliament is led by members from various political parties, including the SPD and CDU, with Stephan Weil and Dirk Toepffer, respectively, playing significant roles.
3. The SPD's rival party in Germany, the CDU, led by Gerald Heere in Lower Saxony, has been vocal in its opposition to the raised salary, with Dirk Toepffer leading the criticism against Stephan Weil's administration.
4. The Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, a local newspaper in Lower Saxony, has been extensively covering the investigation committee and the controversial salary hike, providing a platform for politicians like Toepffer to voice their opinions.
5. The investigation committee, consisting of members from different political parties like the SPD and CDU, will continue to examine the case and may summon more witnesses, including those from New OZ, to gather more information and ensure transparency in this matter.

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