After the mask affair, party leader Söder announced a tough line in the event of violations of the CSU’s code of conduct. But do they really exist? Franz Rieger has been convicted of extortion, but is still a member of the state parliament.
from
Andreas Glas
There’s this song on YouTube by an artist whose real name nobody knows. The artist calls himself a bit mafia-like Francese Ricatto, which sounds suspiciously like the man to whom the song is dedicated: Franz Rieger, member of the CSU state parliament. The text deals satirically with Rieger’s role in the Regensburg party donation affair. “A bit of blackmail is not a problem, says Franz,” it says to the melody of the 1970s hit “The Little Bit of Household”. In November, Rieger was found guilty of extortion because he asked a property developer to donate 50,000 euros in the 2013 state election campaign – and linked this with a threat, according to the court. In terms of criminal law, the affair had consequences for Rieger, who appealed against the judgment. Politically? Oh well.