In winter 2020, the Green Federal Executive approved a corona bonus for itself. After criticism from internal auditors, the politicians paid back the money. Now the judiciary is investigating.
Berlin – The Berlin public prosecutor’s office is investigating the initial suspicion of infidelity against the entire federal executive board of the Greens. * This was confirmed by a spokesman for the authority on Wednesday evening, the mirror had previously reported. A spokesman for the Greens also confirmed that there were investigations and explained: “It is about the participation of the members of the federal executive board in decisions on the payment of so-called “corona bonuses”, which – as already known – will be paid to all employees in 2020 the federal office and at the same time to the federal executive board.”
Berlin public prosecutor’s office is investigating against the Greens board
In addition to party leaders Annalena Baerbock* and Robert Habeck*, the Greens board also includes Michael Kellner, Jamila Schaefer, Ricarda Lang and Marc Urbatsch. At the party conference at the end of next week, a new national board will be elected.
According to the Greens spokesman, the board was entitled to make the relevant decisions “from the point of view of all those involved”. The members have since repaid the bonuses. “The board members concerned and the federal office are cooperating fully with the public prosecutor’s office in order to clarify the matter quickly and completely.”
All employees of the Greens federal office received the Corona bonus* of 1500 euros per person last winter. He was supposed to compensate for the burdens that arose from working in the home office and the renovation of the building.
Green board in the focus of the investigations by the Berlin public prosecutor’s office
The prosecutor’s spokesman said there had been several criminal complaints from private sources. The investigations have been ongoing since January 6th. Internal party auditors had already complained about the payments to the board. The report is available from the German Press Agency, which reported on it in October. The bonus was also paid to the six members of the federal executive board, which, according to the auditors, was not covered by internal party regulations. “In fact, only the 300 euros stipulated in the collective agreement were covered.” The Federal Finance Council, which includes the Federal Treasurer and delegates from the state associations, would have been better off approving this step, the auditors noted, “since a financial regulation should not be made solely by the beneficiaries”. . At that time, in the case of the board of directors, in addition to the corona bonus, the auditors also had a special payment in 2019, which was justified, among other things, by the good election result in the European elections.
The judiciary is investigating against the Greens board, including Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock
Treasurer Marc Urbatsch, himself a member of the committee, had announced the repayment at the time and stated that the special payments for board members should be abolished.
Baerbock and Habeck are not standing again as federal chairmen after moving to the federal government as foreign minister and economics minister. The previous deputy chair Lang and the foreign politician Omid Nouripour are applying for the successor.* (dpa) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Kay Nietfeld/dpa
