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reThe SPD’s attempt to pull its chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz out of the line of fire in the Wirecard scandal threatens to fail. Shortly before the special session of the Finance Committee of the Bundestag, the Federal Ministry of Finance responded in writing to the questions of the deputies, but the additional knowledge acquired was limited, so now almost everything is reduced to an investigative committee, which represents an incalculable risk for Scholz’s electoral campaign. .
The Greens want to clarify their position this Tuesday. It depends on your vote if it comes to that. “With this special meeting, the federal government will once again have the opportunity to clarify the situation. If we are not surprised, a commission of inquiry will be inevitable, ”said green deputy Danyal Bayaz on Monday before the two-day meeting. The scandal and its circumstances would have to be thoroughly clarified to avoid something similar in the future and thus also avoid damage to investors.
“It can no longer be a question of whether we need an investigation committee, but only of what exactly it should investigate,” said FDP financial politician Florian Toncar. He’s betting that the Greens will be part of the game as well starting Tuesday. “It could not be explained to anyone if the Bundestag did not use all means to solve the largest fraud case in post-war history.”
It depends on the greens
The commission of inquiry is seen as the sharp sword of the opposition. For this to happen, a quarter of the deputies must vote in favor. The FDP and the left have come out clearly in favor, including the AfD, with which the other groups do not want to cooperate. Therefore, it is currently up to the Greens to obtain the necessary number of votes.
On the first day, the finance committee discussed the role of the Foreign Ministry in the gigantic fraud scandal. After a special audit revealed air reservations on the balance sheets of the former Dax group, the payment service provider had to declare bankruptcy. The prosecution is investigating former CEO Markus Braun and other managers. Braun is now in custody, Jan Marsalek, the former board member responsible for Asia, is on the run.
As reported by the representative of the Chancellery at the meeting, the German services have no information on where the Austrian is currently. The “Handelsblatt” wrote, referring to Marsalek’s acquaintances, that Marsalek was staying on a farm near Moscow, where he was no longer under the supervision of the Russian military intelligence service, but of the foreign intelligence service. Much has been speculated about Marsalek’s spy activity in recent weeks. However, according to the latest information from the deputies, the German services are not aware of this.
“Lack of political hygiene”
Obviously, the SPD continues with the strategy of getting rid of some of the failures with Angela Merkel, the Chancellery and the Union. SPD financial politician Cansel Kiziltepe again criticized Wirecard’s lobbying work at the Foreign Ministry on Monday. “The fact that a former minister and impostor has direct access to the seat of government shows a lack of political hygiene,” he said, referring to Merkel’s meeting with Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.
The conversation took place shortly before the Chancellor’s trip to China on September 3, 2019. Previously, former Foreign Ministry intelligence officer Klaus-Dieter Fritsche, who was also working as a Wirecard consultant, contacted his former employer.
Merkel actually addressed the desired acquisition of Allscore Payment by Wirecard in Beijing. As the Foreign Ministry representative on the committee pointed out, the Ministry of Finance had not transmitted any knowledge of internal supervision when preparing the trip, but only information from publicly available sources. But the first critical reports of the “Financial Times” in Wirecard had obviously not been noticed in the center of power in Berlin. Most of the time, the Minister of State, Hendrik Hoppenstedt (CDU), spoke on behalf of the Chancellery on Monday and was certified as sovereign in appearance.
Stricter regulation is foreseen for auditors
FDP deputy Toncar criticized the Foreign Ministry’s preparation for the FAZ trip to China as “very superficial.” Green politician Bayaz said it all seemed like incompetent government art. “By granting exclusive access to Wirecard, the government was offensive, although it should have been on the defensive. And when it comes to recognition, he’s defensive, although he should be offensive. “
After auditors failed to grasp the machinations of Wirecard managers, the industry’s stricter regulation is seen as a done deal. Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) announced a cabinet proposal for September. Departmental coordination is currently underway. The chairman of financial regulator Bafin, Felix Hufeld and Bundesbank board member Joachim Wuermeling, should answer questions from financial politicians on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor secured access to the expected assets of former Wirecard managers. Prosecutors obtained the so-called arrest warrants for a total of four people and three companies at the Munich District Court, the Munich Public Prosecutor reported. In the case of individuals, it is sometimes in the two-digit millions, in the case of companies in the lower amounts in three-digit millions. With such arrest warrants, banks can no longer withdraw funds from the accounts of those affected.
