The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has become aware of a media report about Finance Minister Lindner. Did everything go right with his house loan? Lindner affirms that.
After reports of a preliminary examination by the public prosecutor in connection with a real estate loan, the FDP leadership presented itself to Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Party Deputy Wolfgang Kubicki described the presumption of an advantage as “completely absurd” and accused the Berlin judiciary of “a lack of political character and a significant violation of personal rights”.
Lindner himself had rejected allegations in connection with a loan for his private home purchase.
The “Tagesspiegel” had previously reported that the finance minister and head of the FDP had given a video speech for the bank that financed his house purchase. The public prosecutor’s office is now examining whether they should apply for the lifting of his immunity as a member of parliament. He faces criminal prosecution for accepting benefits.
The waiver of immunity is a prerequisite for preliminary investigations
The Berlin public prosecutor’s office said that according to a report by “Spiegel” on the house loan, “the preliminary examination that is customary for members of parliament with regard to their immunity has been carried out”. That is usual and does not mean that there is an initial suspicion. The waiver of immunity is a prerequisite for a preliminary investigation. It is decided by the Bundestag, which, however, decided at the beginning of the legislature to approve such concerns in principle.
According to reports from “Spiegel” and “Tagesspiegel”, Lindner held the greeting for a private customer bank in Karlsruhe in May 2022. Then he got another loan from the same bank.
Lindner sees “today’s reporting with composure”
Lindner’s lawyer Christian Schertz said: “Mr. Lindner started his private real estate financing long before he took over his ministerial post. All conditions were always customary in the market. Granting a brief greeting on anniversaries such as the centenary of a bank is part of the regular duties of a minister.” There is no connection between the greeting and private real estate financing. Lindner sees “today’s reporting with composure”.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Finance also emphasized that such greetings were “not at all unusual”. The question of whether Lindner had referred to his loan internally after the bank’s request was left unanswered. Kubicki emphasized that there are special compliance rules for the business relationship between a bank and a politically prominent personality such as a federal minister, which should rule out the granting of advantages.
The anti-corruption organization Transparency Germany welcomed the preliminary examination of the Berlin judiciary. “The rule of law must also and especially take a critical look at a minister,” said transparency lawyer Wolfgang Jäckle of the Funke media group. The managing director of the citizens’ movement Finanzwende, Daniel Mittler, asked Lindner to disclose his credit conditions “in order to eliminate even the slightest suspicion of taking advantage”.
Source: Stern
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