Former chancellor defends himself: Schröder’s lawyer calls the office closure unconstitutional

Gerhard Schröder (SPD) is opposed to the decision by the budget committee of the Bundestag to abolish his former chancellor privileges. In a letter to the chairman of the committee, Helge Braun (CDU), Schröder’s lawyer asked for a “verifiable and therefore appealable decision” to be sent to him.

The letter states that the former chancellor learned “through the media” that his office should be “put on hold” and “the positions assigned to the office should be “wound up”. And further: “This decision is based on the finding that he no longer perceives ‘ongoing obligations from the office’.” This finding is not justified in detail. “This may be because another reason was and is actually responsible for the withdrawal of these ‘privileges’, which should not be further discussed. However, the ‘Gazettes’ also do not reveal what the budget committee actually means by ‘ongoing obligations from the office’.”

“Public hunt”

A judicial clarification is “not at the forefront” “despite the now no longer acceptable public ‘hunting'”. The lawyer would “rejoice at the chance to reach an agreement acceptable to all sides ‘on an equal footing’ by means of a discussion”.

Schröder, a long-time friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly come under pressure because of his connections to Russia. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, this increased further. Several motions to expel the party were made.

In mid-May, the budget committee voted to close the former chancellor’s office. Last year, more than 400,000 euros flowed from the state treasury for personnel expenses in Schröder’s office. According to the committee decision, the former chancellor is still entitled to a pension and personal protection.