The prosecutor’s office in Berlin is conducting an investigation, the defendants of which are members of the presidium of the Green Party, including its co-chairs Annalena Burbock and Robert Habek, Der Spiegel reported, Interfax reports. Burbock is now German Foreign Minister, while Habek is Economics Minister and Vice-Chancellor.
The publication reported that in 2020, members of the Greens presidium illegally received 1,500 euros of “coronavirus” payments, which they themselves determined and paid. According to the publication, the investigation is ongoing against all members of the presidium, including Rikard Lang and Jamil Schaefer, party director Michael Kellner and treasurer Mark Urbach. The prosecutor’s office and the party confirmed the investigation.
Burbock was accused of receiving a “coronavirus” payment during the election campaign. In May 2021, on a talk show, Burbock stated that this was a “Christmas bonus” that she declared. She noted that she did not report the payment to the speaker of the Bundestag, although she should have, but now she regrets it.
On September 26, the next parliamentary elections were held in Germany. They were elected members of the 20th convocation of the Bundestag (the federal parliament of Germany). This is the first election since 2005 in which the CDU was not led by then Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) won the election. Olaf Scholz from the SPD was elected the new Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.