exclusive
A party donation to the CDU Cologne in 2017 could, according to research by ARD-Politics magazine Contrasts and “time online” were illegal. The CDU has therefore filed a voluntary report with the Bundestag administration.
According to research by the CDU federal office ARD-Politics magazine Contrasts and on September 28th, “Zeit online” filed a voluntary report with the Bundestag administration regarding an allegedly inadmissible party donation of over 50,000 euros from 2017.
The donation is according to Contrasts– and “Zeit” information about a donation from the now insolvent Düsseldorf real estate developer Gerchgroup AG. Before the voluntary disclosure, Cologne CDU officials had followed suit Contrasts– and “Zeit” – information with high-ranking CDU politicians from the federal and state governments; In the end they decided to self-report.
Real estate developer donated 50,000 euros to the Cologne CDU
The donation from Gerchgroup AG to the district association of the CDU in Cologne is intended Contrasts– and “time” information was provided in August 2017. At that time it became public knowledge that the company was taking over the “Laurenz Carré”, an area in downtown Cologne, from a private investor. According to press reports, the company wanted to build offices, hotels and commercial space on the site for around 250 million euros.
The controversial question between Gerchgroup AG and the city of Cologne was whether publicly subsidized housing should also be built on the land immediately next to Cologne Cathedral – this is comparatively less lucrative for real estate developers.
In September 2017, apparently shortly after the company’s donation to the CDU, the urban development committee of the city of Cologne decided, at the request of the SPD parliamentary group, to designate 30 percent subsidized housing on the Laurenz-Carré. The CDU and the FDP voted against it in the committee.
However, it is currently unclear whether there is any connection between Gerchgroup AG’s Laurenz-Carré project and its 2017 party donation to the Cologne CDU. What is clear, however, is that the donation is viewed as so problematic within the CDU that it led to self-reporting.
Bundestag administration must now check the 50,000 euro donation
Particularly explosive: The Cologne district association reported the donation to the CDU regional association as a possible violation of paragraph 25 paragraph 2 number 7 of the party law, as reported on “Zeit”- and Contrasts-Inquiry communicated today. According to this regulation, so-called “expectation donations” that are “recognizably given to a party in anticipation of or in return for a specific economic or political advantage” are prohibited.
However, it is currently unclear whether the possible violation of the legal regulation should have been noticed by those responsible at the time; The Bundestag administration must now check this.
Gerchgroup and former CDU officials assert its legality
On Contrasts– and “Zeit” inquiry as to whether there was a political return for the donation or whether such was expected, a lawyer for the former CDU district chairman Bernd Petelkau and the former Cologne CDU treasurer Ralph Elster said that the donation was from everyone was carried out properly by the responsible bodies; His mandates cannot be accused of any wrongdoing. Of course, there was no consideration from his clients’ perspective.
When asked, Gerchgroup AG also said that no consideration was or was expected for the donation. The company regularly supports parties at the regional and municipal level. Until now, no one had any knowledge of the CDU’s voluntary disclosure.
A fine of up to 100,000 euros is possible
If the party donation was actually illegal, the Cologne CDU is threatened not only with the amount being repaid to the Bundestag administration, but also with a fine of twice the amount of the donation, so that in the worst case scenario the party will be fined up to 150,000 euros the Bundestag administration would have to pay.
The Cologne CDU is following from the party headquarters, the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus in Berlin Contrasts– and “Zeit” information was urgently advised to deposit 50,000 euros with the German Bundestag.
Cologne CDU in financial distress
The possible donations scandal hits the Cologne CDU, which is one of the largest district associations in North Rhine-Westphalia, in a very tense financial situation. The district association has six-figure liabilities. As early as November 2021, the Cologne CDU received a loan of 100,000 euros from the Borken district association chaired by Jens Spahn. The loan is due for repayment on November 30th, according to the Borken district association Contrasts announced.
If the CDU Cologne were not in a position to do this, the North Rhine-Westphalia regional association would ensure repayment, according to Borken. According to a spokesman for the regional association, “the higher-level associations would then intervene through appropriate measures.”
Gerchgroup AG went bankrupt this summer. The insolvency is apparently directly linked to Laurenz-Carré: In December 2021, a real estate financier wanted to acquire the project – but a first installment of 130 million euros was not paid. The sale then fell through in March of this year, the “Handelsblatt” reported.