Mask affair: is an old Junge Union network behind the mask deals?

Munich – The so-called mask affair of the Union is described as one of its biggest scandals since the donation affair. The historical election defeats in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate can evidently support this assumption. According to research by the ARD political magazine report Munich and the Augsburger Allgemeine an old network of the CSU politician Georg Nüßlein is said to be behind the mask deals. Lobbyists have therefore put pressure on companies to conduct mask business through Nüßlein in order to obtain public contracts.

Mask affair: Liechtenstein’s role in the alleged commission payments

Various companies in Liechtenstein are said to have played a central role in the mask affair. The mask business had come to light among other things through the investigations of the tax authorities in the principality. For a long time the country was considered a tax haven, but Liechtenstein Prime Minister Adrian Hasler told the ARD political magazine report Munich and the Augsburger Allgemeine: “For me it is a prime example that Liechtenstein has changed and can also make its contribution in this area to uncovering such cases and I hope to prevent them in the future too.” He also praised his tax authority. They investigated suspicious account flows and reported their findings to the German authorities. This triggered the investigation against the EX-CSU MP.

Adrian Hasler also emphasized that the Corona crisis is a lot about trust in politics and the authorities. “If it is then simply discovered that there is abuse here, that someone here may fill their own pockets, then that undermines the entire trust enormously,” said the Liechtenstein head of government. Such behavior harms everyone and must be prevented.

Mask affair: is there a network from the old days of the Junge Union behind it?

The joint research of the Augsburger Allgemeine and the ARD political magazine report Munich come to the conclusion that behind the mask deals around the former CSU politician Georg Nüßlein there is an old network from his days at the Junge Union in Bavaria. In addition to Nüßlein, the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office also led businessman Michael Kraess as another accused. Both have known each other for over 20 years and were chairmen of the Junge Union in neighboring districts in Bavaria. Nüßlein then made a career in politics and Kraess became a lobbyist together with other active members of the CSU youth organization.

Of the Augsburger Allgemeine and the ARD political magazine report Munich there are e-mails that are supposed to prove that the lobbyist Kraess and another accused named Thomas L. advertised not to make mask deals by them and Nüßlein so that they could get public contracts. It should emerge from the e-mail traffic and statements from those affected that the lobbyists have put pressure on the companies.

Mask affair: Are there now stricter rules for MPs?

One thing seems clear, the mask affair will have consequences. The only question is what these will look like. For example, the transparency initiative Abestagswatch calls for stricter rules for members of parliament. The rules planned by the Union and the SPD so far are not enough, according to their statements. According to the MPs watch spokesman Roman Ebener, the sometimes high additional income of MPs is associated with conflicts of interest. He also called for the obligation to publish corporate holdings to be reduced from 25 to five percent and the rules for holding companies to be tightened.

The SPD wants to appoint an independent transparency officer to fully clear up the mask affair of the Union MPs Parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group, Carsten Schneider, on Wednesday morning in ARD morning magazine. “The President of the Bundestag should submit that and then, I think, you get a pacification of the entire situation.”

To mirror-Information, the first parliamentary managing directors of the parliamentary groups of Union and SPD will discuss possible further consequences of the mask deals on Wednesday. The transparency officer should, among other things, explain the connection between MPs and the respective company, as it is called in a draft resolution of the SPD, the mirror is present.(Dana Popp)