The opposition in the state parliament is demanding the immediate disclosure of all business interests held by CSU MP Walter Nussel, the state government’s commissioner for reducing bureaucracy. The SPD faction deputy Arif Taşdelen announced: “The CSU felt and the business together with Alfred Sauter go on cheerfully.” With the transparency promised by CSU boss Markus Söder, it was “not far off”. The reason for this is research by the SZ on an earlier company participation by Nussel together with Sauter, the face of the CSU mask affair. FDP parliamentary group leader Martin Hagen also recognizes “at least one gschmäckle” here and demands “urgent clarification”.
It’s about the Oberstdorfer Silva Forst GmbH, whose shareholder (four percent) and managing director Nussel was until spring 2022. Since April 1, the law on parliamentarians, which was reformed after the mask affair, has stipulated that holdings of three percent or more are made public; previously the threshold was 25 percent. Only a few days before it came into effect, at a meeting of the Silva shareholders, including Sauter, Nussel’s function and shares were transferred to his son. The meeting apparently took place quite spontaneously, according to the commercial register “waiving all forms and deadlines prescribed by law or the articles of association”.
Nussel had told the SZ that there was “no causal connection” with the law on deputies. CSU faction leader Thomas Kreuzer said: “The handover of a company within the family, which has been planned for a long time, does not violate guidelines and is completely correct.” Taşdelen says: “Who in the CSU believes in such coincidences?” He wonders why Nussel’s job as managing director was not previously reported to the state parliament; the Commissioner Act also requires this. “In any case, I can’t find any publication on this.”