The Hanover public prosecutor’s office is investigating the deputy AfD state leader. He is said to have not billed payments as party donations. Members of the Bundestag probably also paid in.
Police and public prosecutors are currently searching the offices of the AfD party headquarters in Hanover. Shortly before, the parliament in Lower Saxony had lifted the immunity of AfD MP Ansgar Schledde.
Hanover’s first female public prosecutor, public prosecutor Kathrin Söfker, confirmed this NDR the investigations. It’s about violating the party law. “Donations received in a private account are said to have not been immediately forwarded to the party.” Some of these funds are said to have been used for party purposes.
New clues call Investigative authorities on the plan
The case is not unknown: two years ago, the AfD’s now deputy state chairman, Ansgar Schledde, was accused of running a “slush fund.” Christopher Emden, a former member of the state parliament and former AfD member, accused him of having demanded money for promising places on the list.
Schledde vehemently denied this. The Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office closed the investigation into breach of trust. Now there are apparently new clues – these are calling the Hanover public prosecutor’s office into action.
Members of the Bundestag have paid into the account
According to information from NDR and the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung Schledde’s private account is said to have received donations with a clear AfD connection. The money was apparently transferred by well-known AfD members from Lower Saxony, who are now members of the federal and state parliaments. They are said to have unofficially called the account “War Chest” and also used this term in the intended use.
An inquiry is underway with the politicians concerned. A total of around 48,000 euros related to the AfD are said to have been parked in Schledde’s account. The problem: Schledde could get these funds NDR– Information may not have been forwarded or billed. An inquiry is ongoing with the deputy state chairman Ansgar Schledde.
Accountability report could be wrong
Incoming and outgoing payments must be forwarded and officially reported. These funds should have been recorded in the federal AfD’s annual report at the latest.
Prosecutor Söfker says: “The accountability report could therefore be wrong.” The Bundestag, which examines the annual report, confirmed NDR-Request to know the facts about the Lower Saxony AfD. However, a spokesman said they did not want to comment on ongoing proceedings.
Former AfD member makes serious allegations
Former AfD member Christopher Emden recently spoke again with the NDR About Schledde’s account, which is known in party circles as a “war chest”: “I was offered to pay an amount of 4,000 euros in order to get support for the nomination for the next state election.”
The account details for the “war chest” were Schledde’s. “But I could have paid it in cash.” Emden decided against it and made the “slush fund” public. An injunction against him followed.
In March, the Verden regional court found that Emden’s allegations were credible. A spokeswoman confirmed this NDR. However, the judgment is not legally binding. Schledde has filed an appeal.
Schledde wants AfDState Chairman become
The raid today takes place four days before the AfD state party conference in Unterlüß. There, Ansgar Schledde wants to be elected as the new state chairman and replace the previous party leader Frank Rinck.
Schledde is considered a networker in the party who holds the reins and has ambitions to make a career in the AfD. According to his own statements, Rinck only found out from the press that Schledde was running for his position.
Personnel on the brink?
Political scientist at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Michael Koß, doubts whether this personality is now in jeopardy in view of the searches: “The AfD electorate has less expectation that the political staff follows the rules of political operations. The staff is in On the contrary, they even set out to break the rules.”
Despite the searches today, Ansgar Schledde is still presumed innocent.