By Markus Grill and
Klaus Ott, Berlin
Can it be that the German state pays out more than two billion euros without any controls? Yes, that can be. This is what happened during the pandemic, when the then Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) gave the pharmacies more than 2.1 billion euros in the winter half of 2020/21. For the distribution of corona protective masks to people who are particularly at risk from the corona virus. The Federal Court of Auditors later criticized it vehemently and said it was one “Significant overcompensation in favor of pharmacies”. They would have received far too much money for their distribution services.