Masking affair: Greens and Left Press the SPD to Spahn-U Committee

In the masking affair, the Greens and the left in the Bundestag increase the pressure on the SPD to clear the way for an investigation committee. For the establishment of such a lack “alone the promise of the SPD,” said Irene Mihalic, the first parliamentary managing director of the Greens, the star. Anyone who is serious about transparency should not hide behind excuses now. “If the SPD refuses its voices, it stands out protectively from Jens Spahn and against Parliament’s minority right.”

The group leader of the left, Heidi Reichinnek, told him star: “It should be a matter of course after these questionable deals have presumably caused a billion dollar damage to take responsibility for it and to support the establishment of the committee of inquiry.” If the Union is not willing to do so, “the SPD is asked to do the right thing in order to at least avert further loss of trust in politics by real processing.”

Jens Spahn himself looks forward to a possible committee of inquiry for the masking affair. When asked whether he was afraid of such a committee, the Union faction leader replied to the star With: “No.” However, an enquete is “the better way to deal with and social satisfaction,” emphasized the CDU politician. “In the then coalition of Germany, we guided well through this difficult time. We don’t have to throw ourselves in the dust for that.”

Spahn complained of malignant allegations in the debate about his person. “I hope that my actions will be assessed in the context of the emergency. We were completely unprepared,” he said. “Instead, five years later, standards are created as if there had been no pandemy of the century and viciously constructed allegations. We have to process this pandemic, yes. The wounds in the country are not the masks, but, but, but vaccination, school closures, freedom restrictions.”

The discussion about the procedure of the then Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn in the procurement of protective masks during Corona pandemic has recently received a new dynamic. What is certain is that the Ministry of Health bought too many masks at the time, at a relatively high price. The majority of it was not used in the end. To date, dozens of mask suppliers have complained against the federal government, which the latter could still cost billions of taxpayers.

By researching several media, the unsuccessful version of an investigation report on the matter became public. This was held back by Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, a party colleague of Spahn, before being forwarded to the Bundestag’s budget committee only with extensive blackening. The ministry justifies the blackening with the alleged protection of employees and business secrets of the companies involved. Also that star If there is the unsuccessful version of the report, from which it also becomes clear how intensely Spahn was involved and informed in the procurement decisions.

It is clear to the Greens: The new findings from the unwooded Sudhof report “put a network of lobby commissions and ministerial wrong decisions open,” said Mihalic. “The impression arises that Minister of Health Warking has deliberately blackened passages to hide Jens Spahn’s entanglements.” This can only be completely clarified in an investigation committee.

A parliamentary committee of inquiry is considered the sharpest sword of the opposition, it can check grievances and misconduct by hearing witnesses and can be presented. The problem of green and left: together they do not get enough voices, a quarter of all MPs are needed to use a U-committee. Since both rule out to rely on votes from the AfD, the Union or SPD would also have to agree.

The fact that the Union gets involved is excluded – it vehemently defends its parliamentary group leader and argues that it was an exceptional situation during a pandemic at that time. In addition, the special investigator Margaretha Sudhof, lawyer and SPD member, she assumes a party policy motivation in the creation of the investigation report. Jens Spahn himself also rejects the allegations and excludes his resignation. “I will not throw myself in the dust for the fact that we have brought this country through the difficult time,” he told the “Bild am Sonntag”.

Only the SPD involved in the government remains the Greens and the left, which initially did not want to face the Union faction leader. On Sunday, however, SPD parliamentary group vice Wiebke Esdar emphasized that there are “still unanswered questions” and “complete information” is required. “Should it be shown that blackening in the documents beyond personal protection is motivated in terms of party politics, this must be checked and evaluated with the seriousness offered,” she told the “Rheinische Post”.

This week too, there could be new findings on the matter: Special meetings of the budget and health committee will take place again on Tuesday and Thursday. After the Spahn and Warken answered questions from MPs, the special investigator Sudhof is now invited. It is good that Sudhof will explain “her view of Spahn’s personal role again” in the committee, said left-wing politician Reichinnek. “The population is urgently expecting education and transparency.”