Bundestag: Two AfD MPs lose immunity – searches

Due to initial suspicions of bribery and money laundering, the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated investigations against AfD MP Petr Bystron and searched several properties. Among them was Bystron’s parliamentary office in Berlin. Parliament had previously lifted his immunity. In the evening, his parliamentary group colleague Hannes Gnauck also lost his immunity, and the Bundestag thus approved the implementation of judicial disciplinary proceedings against the chairman of the Junge Alternative. Initially nothing was known about the specific background.

Searches in several locations

According to the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office, searches were also planned at several locations in Bavaria and Mallorca in the Bystron case. Eleven public prosecutors and around 70 police officers from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office were on duty. The public prosecutor’s office pointed out that the presumption of innocence applies until a possible conviction.

Bystron himself described the investigation to “Zeit online” as politically motivated. “The proceedings will be stopped when the election is over,” the portal quoted him as saying. “This will cost us some votes in the elections.” But other voters would stick with the AfD: “Those who know the history of our party, which has been damaged by counter-campaigns, will not be deterred.”

Headlines because of possible Russia and China connections

The MP from the Munich-North constituency has been the AfD’s chairman in the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee since 2017. He is also in second place on the AfD’s list of candidates for the European elections on June 9th. Bystron and top candidate Maximilian Krah have been in the headlines for weeks because of possible connections to pro-Russian networks and possible financial payments.

In March, following secret service investigations, the Czech Republic put the pro-Russian internet platform “Voice of Europe” (VoE) on the national sanctions list, and interviews with Bystron and Krah were also published there. A Czech newspaper reported that Bystron may have also accepted money. The public prosecutor’s office in Munich initiated so-called preliminary investigations in the Bystron case to check whether there was an initial suspicion of criminal conduct involving bribery of members of parliament. According to dpa information, the investigations that have now been initiated concern the allegations in connection with “Voice of Europe”.

The law enforcement authorities in Dresden had also initiated a preliminary investigation against Krah, who comes from Dresden, and another into possible payments from China. While the Munich team takes the next step and investigates Bystron, the preliminary investigation into the Krah case continues in Dresden. When asked in the Saxon state capital on Thursday, there was no new stand. Krah and Bystron stated that they had not accepted any money.

Krah is also in focus because his former employee Jian G. was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. In connection with the investigation against G., the Federal Prosecutor’s Office had Krah’s offices and those of his ex-employee in the European Parliament in Brussels searched on Tuesday last week. Documents belonging to Krah are protected by his immunity as an MP. Immunity can only be lifted by a resolution of Parliament at the request of the authorities. However, the responsible committee of the European Parliament will no longer meet before the European elections on June 9th. Krah himself denies any wrongdoing.

AfD leaders continue to miss evidence

The AfD leadership has so far stuck to its two European election candidates. After a short break, Krah is making campaign appearances again and in Bystron’s case, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla only said briefly in writing: “The lifting of immunity and the search of Petr Bystron’s office and private rooms are a serious matter.” So far, no evidence has been presented for the allegations that have been made against him for weeks. The group hopes that the investigation will be concluded quickly, “so that there is no suspicion that authorities and public prosecutors who are bound by instructions are trying to influence the European election campaign.”

Second AfD parliamentarian loses immunity

In the evening, the Bundestag also withdrew AfD parliamentarian Gnauck’s immunity and thus granted “approval to carry out judicial disciplinary proceedings” against the chairman of Junge Alternative. The AfD’s youth organization was classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist effort by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in April 2023.

Nothing was initially known about the background to the lifting of the 32-year-old’s immunity. According to ARD information, it is about a disciplinary complaint from his time in the Bundeswehr. Gnauck represents the AfD on the defense committee. Politicians from other parties had already sharply criticized this after it became known that the Bundeswehr’s Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) had classified the former soldier as an “extremist”.

Gnauck, who served as a temporary soldier in the German army from 2014 to 2021, said in the evening that he had already offered Bundestag President Bärbel Bas weeks ago to lift his immunity in order to dispel allegations. Bas had let him know at the time that this step was not necessary.

Now, shortly before the EU elections, his immunity will be lifted “for no apparent reason” in order to enable investigations into proceedings that have been dormant for three years. “The false portrayal of opposition politicians as corrupt or criminal is obviously intended to worsen the results of the AfD,” explained the politician. He has nothing to blame himself for and is waiting for the results of the investigation.

Lindner against banning proceedings – warning about “clearance certificate”

The FDP chairman Christian Lindner rejects attempts to have the AfD banned by the Federal Constitutional Court. “The hurdles for banning a party are very high. At the end of the day, a clean bill of health should not be issued by rejecting a ban application by the AfD,” the Federal Finance Minister told the newspapers of the Funke media group. The confrontation with this party must take place in democratic competition so that the AfD cannot present itself as a victim.