Investigations in NRW
Raids in North Rhine-Westphalia: Fraud in the restructuring of the State Chancellery?
During the renovation of the Düsseldorf State Chancellery, companies are said to have committed bribes and caused damage amounting to millions. There are also raids on the state-owned construction company BLB.
The public prosecutor’s office and the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) are investigating alleged corruption with damage amounting to millions in connection with the renovation of the North Rhine-Westphalian State Chancellery. An LKA spokesman confirmed this in response to a dpa request. The authorities are therefore executing more than 40 search warrants. According to dpa information, there were also raids on properties belonging to the state-owned construction company BLB.
According to the responsible public prosecutor’s office in Wuppertal, more than 100 investigators were on duty that morning. According to the LKA, searches took place in Düsseldorf, Neuss, Mönchengladbach, Erkrath and Münster, among others. Among other things, it concerns suspicions of bribery and corruption as well as agreements restricting competition.
As the dpa learned, this involves, among other things, the renovation of the lighting in the State Chancellery, which has been modernized for years. There are said to have been irregularities and excessive invoices in the services provided by external companies.
Employees of the BLB and employees of an architectural office are also said to have been involved. The state-owned construction and real estate company is managing the renovation of the State Chancellery. There were initially no arrest warrants or arrests, but the main suspects – five men and two women – remain at large. According to the investigators, there is no suspicion against employees of the State Chancellery.
dpa
Source: Stern
