Potential New Party Donation Scandal Involving AfD
According to a recent media report, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) may be embroiled in a new political donation scandal. A joint investigation by Der Spiegel and the Austrian newspaper Der Standard alleges that the party received an illicit donation of around €2.35 million for an advertising campaign.
The donation was reportedly facilitated by former Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) official Gerhard Dingler, who allegedly donated the funds to the AfD. These funds were then used to finance numerous billboards in various German cities. However, there are suspicions that Dingler was merely a straw donor.
The media outlets cite investigations by Austrian security authorities, which suggest that Dingler received a multi-million euro gift from Duisburg-based real estate billionaire Henning Conle prior to his alleged donation to the AfD.
According to the reports, the businessman presented his bank with a contract a few weeks ago that documented Conle’s donation of €2.6 million. Dingler initially told his bank that he intended to use the money for a real estate project.
Shortly thereafter, a sum of almost €2.35 million was transferred from Dingler’s account to a billboard advertising company in Cologne. The AfD subsequently declared the same amount to the German Bundestag administration in early February.
Austrian authorities are investigating the allegations, including the possibility of money laundering. The German Federal Criminal Police Office and the State Protection and Intelligence Directorate (DSN) have also been involved in the investigation.
Under German party law, straw donations that conceal the identity of the actual donor are prohibited. If the suspicions are substantiated, the AfD faces a fine three times the amount of the illegal donation, which would total around €7 million, according to Der Spiegel.
Conle reportedly has residences in Zurich, London, and a holding company in Liechtenstein. He is alleged to have provided covert support to the AfD in the past. In 2020, the Bundestag administration imposed a fine of almost €400,000 on the party for such undisclosed donations made by Conle, according to Der Spiegel.
A spokesperson for AfD leader Alice Weidel told Der Spiegel that the party and its executive board had no prior indication that Dingler was acting as a straw donor. He claimed that Dingler had informed the AfD before the donation that the funds came from his own assets and that the payment was "not made on behalf of third parties."
The allegations against the AfD have the potential to further damage the party’s reputation, which has been marred by previous controversies and allegations of extremism. It remains to be seen whether the investigations will uncover evidence of wrongdoing, and whether the AfD will face additional penalties or consequences as a result.
