Corona pandemic: Spahn: Mask allegations are invalid-left demands resignation

Former Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU), after a survey by parliamentarians, considers most of the allegations against himself because of the Corona mask procurement. After the two -hour survey in the Bundestag’s budget committee, this made this clear today.

Spahn argued that in the deep crisis and in view of the lack of information about Corona, decisions were necessary in an emergency: “And it is just trying to put this into a different context to the limit of the defamation.”

Serious allegations in the Sudhof report

A report by the special investigator Margaretha Sudhof had found that Spahn had entered the protective mask procurement “against the council of his specialist departments” on a large scale. Billion risks for the state were therefore created, although experienced authorities were made available with procurement and warned several times. Sudhof was commissioned by Spahn successor Karl Lauterbach (SPD).

“I consider most of the allegations from the Sudhof paper,” said Spahn. “It was the event of health and, to stay in the picture, we had no rifles, no ammunition, no protection.” He emphasized: “We did what was necessary to get masks.”

The finance minister and he agreed: it should cost money rather than human lives. “This has led us to have spent 440 billion euros in federal funds for coping with pandemic in three years.” With this enormous sum, protective shields for hospitals, vaccines and tests were also procured.

Spahn welcomed that the Bundestag wants to use an Enquete Commission. In retrospect, one had to find out at the time that many knights had offered things: “It was Wildwest.” However, the decisions were made with a majority in the Bundestag. As explained why external companies were planned for procurement instead of authorities, Spahn said: “We were at the limit, and we were so at the limit that we also needed additional support.”

Today’s Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU) defended Spahn, but also made it clear that in the future – unlike then – procurement should no longer exist directly through her ministry. The Greens in the Bundestag announced that Spahn is in the suspicion of “abuse of power in office”, as her health politician Janosch Dahmen said.

Files had to be made up for

Warken accused Sudhof special investigator again methodical defects and some incomprehensible derivations. At the same time, she admitted that the “hilling the documents” from the time in question in the ministry only had to be made up for later. “It is clear that the Federal Ministry of Health is actually a legislative house and is not a logistics company. And for the future we should also set up these procedures differently,” said Warken. The situation in that time was special.

Once again justified blacks in the report presented with personal data and business secrets of third parties. But the places would not have to remain blackened. At the stand, however, it has now created the greatest possible transparency.

Greens: Confederation provides too little process risks

According to Warken’s survey, the Green Housekeeper Paula Piechotta announced that Sudhof’s report had already partially led to changes in the strategy of health department in questionable processes. “So Ms. Sudhof’s work was very successful.” In the federal budget, 1.2 billion euros are still provided for masks for the outstanding procedures. “According to our knowledge, this is probably not sufficient,” said Piechotta.

Her party colleague Dahmen said, above all, the accusation was that a company from the home region of Spahn “without tender in a Hoppla-Hopp procedure with some WhatsApp and private e-mail communication was commissioned, was completely overwhelmed after a few days and was then dispensed with claims for damages.

According to the left in the Bundestag, the necessary information cannot be left to the CDU-led health department or an Enquete Commission, as its MP Ates Gürpinar said. According to the will of the black and red coalition, such a commission is to process corona pandemic and crisis management in Germany.

Resignation claim from left

The left demanded Spahn’s resignation. “Anyone who throws our tax money out of the window so carelessly should no longer exercise an important political office,” said left-wing boss Ines Schwerdtner. Spahn had threaded windy billion deals against the advice of his experts. Therefore, he should “do a last service to democracy and resign as the leader of the parliament this week,” she said.

Health Committee Budget Committee