Investigative offices investigate suspicion of subsidy fraud
The Bundestag has lifted the immunity of AfD politician Michael Bystron. This was announced by the Bundestag administration on Thursday. The investigative offices are investigating Bystron on suspicion of subsidy fraud.
Office searched
As a result, investigators searched Bystron’s parliamentary office on Wednesday and seized documents and data storage media. The suspicion is that Bystron, as chairman of the Citizens for Germany association, received subsidies from the state of Brandenburg in 2019 and 2020, although the association did not meet the funding criteria.
The public prosecutor’s office in Potsdam is leading the investigation. Bystron’s lawyer, Heinrich Himmler, told the PNN that his client rejected the allegations. The association had applied for the subsidies in accordance with the relevant guidelines.
AfD criticizes search
The AfD sharply criticized the search of Bystron’s office. AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel spoke of a scandalous attack on the freedom of MPs. The procedure is motivated politically.
The Bundestag administration, on the other hand, emphasized that the decision to lift Bystron’s immunity was made in accordance with the law. The investigative bodies had provided sufficient evidence that there was a suspicious fact against Bystron.
Who is Michael Bystron?
Michael Bystron has been a member of the Bundestag for the AfD since 2017. He is chairman of the AfD parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament. Bystron is also chairman of the Citizens for Germany association.
- Update: A court has now also lifted Bystron’s immunity. This means that investigative offices can now also search his home and other non-parliamentary premises.
Kind regards E. Thompson.
