The processing of the mask affairs is heading for its final act: in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the state parliament will finally debate the results of the mask investigation committee. The interpretation of the taking of evidence by the factions differs greatly from one another. The committee had recently approved the official final report with a committee majority from the CSU and FW, which had been presented by the chairman Winfried Bausback (CSU). There was a “minority report” from the Greens, SPD and FDP, and a dissenting vote from the AfD.
The aim was to shed light on the procurement of masks by government agencies at the beginning of the Corona period and to examine the participation of politicians and, in some cases, high commissions. The U-Committee met for more than a year, interviewed 150 witnesses and evaluated a good two million pages of digitized files.
According to Bausback, the evidence showed: “There was no favoritism, there was no service of friendship, favors or favoritism.” There was “no blueprint” for the first months of Corona, the state government acted consistently to protect human life. However, the “morally reprehensible” misconduct of three people should be mentioned: the ex-CSU member of parliament Alfred Sauter, the former CSU federal politician Georg Nüßlein and the “private person” Andrea Tandler, daughter of the former CSU top politician Gerold Tandler. Their behavior – providing masks with lavish commissions – was “in stark contrast to the very widespread willingness to help” at the time. The latter – and not as a felt – Bausback also counts the free use of the CSU politicians Andreas Scheuer and Monika Hohlmeier for certain mask deliveries.
The SPD sees “classic purveyors to the court”
Vice-committee chief Florian Siekmann (Greens), on the other hand, blames “blind trust in CSU contacts” for millions in damage to taxpayers. In addition to the three people, “Amigo mask deals” were “pushed through” by the State Chancellery, for example. He calls for an anti-corruption initiative for the state government.
Because while the state parliament has tightened the law on deputies, the executive lacks “sensitivity to what is conveyed through political contacts”. Markus Rinderspacher (SPD) recognizes “classic purveyors to the court” in the procurement at the time – whoever has a good connection gets a chance.