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Berlin CDU politician resigns his candidacy after a deal on masks
It does not matter if Söder or Laschet, the Union is in the immersion of the poll
The Union is currently deliberating on its electoral program. But the choice of the chancellor candidate is probably more important. Whether it’s Söder or Laschet, one thing is clear: it wouldn’t be easy for either of them. CDU and CSU are in the survey immersion.
In spring 2020, Niels Korte (CDU) negotiated a deal with the federal government for 20 million protective masks. As WELT reported, he had contacted Minister Spahn in advance. Now Korte wants to resign his candidacy to the Bundestag.
DBerlin CDU politician Niels Korte has withdrawn his candidacy for the German Bundestag. The direct candidate in the Treptow-Köpenick constituency said Monday night.
“In view of the ongoing reports and the importance of the upcoming elections for our country and our city, I am withdrawing my candidacy for the Bundestag mandate in the Treptow-Köpenick constituency,” Korte wrote. Nor will he be a candidate on the CDU state roster.
Berlin CDU politician Niels Korte
Source: Rainer Raschewski / CDU / short.berlin / Wikipedia License CC BY-SA 3.0
WELT reported on Sunday that the lawyer was involved in a lucrative protective mask business in the spring of 2020. In April, Korte concluded a deal for 19,999,999 masks for Areal Invest Grundstücks GmbH with the Ministry of Health (BMG). Contract value: 90 million euros.
Korte, an honorary professor, management consultant and lawyer, managed to negotiate a so-called “amendment agreement” with BMG’s legal representative in late April. This gave Areal Invest an extended delivery period.
The CDU politician had previously contacted Minister Jens Spahn (also CDU) directly by email to obtain the bidding documents. In addition, Korte had asked his friend from the Berlin party, Maik Penn, a member of the state parliament, for help. Penn also wrote an email to Spahn at the time.
Korte himself says he did not receive any commission as part of the deal. However, it has a stake in Areal Invest through its holding company Omniamea. Shortly after the multi-million dollar deal with BMG was confirmed, Korte doubled his stake in the company. He has owned 40 percent of the shares of Areal Invest since the beginning of May 2020.
Korte stated on Facebook that his political contacts had no role in the deal. The general secretary of the CDU, Stefan Evers, announced on Monday night: “After the processes that he has presented in a forceful and transparent way, he has no reproaches either as a businessman or as a member of the party.”
From 2011 to 2016, Korte was a member of the Berlin state parliament. This autumn he wanted to join the Bundestag as a member of the Bundestag; he was a direct candidate for his party in the Treptow-Köpenick constituency. Korte had already started there in 2017, but was defeated by left-wing veteran Gregor Gysi.
