State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia Denies Influence of New Minister-President on Cost Controls
A department head of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Chancellery has refuted speculations that the new Minister-President intervened to impose cost controls on the renovation of the state building.
During a meeting of the finance committee of the Düsseldorf state parliament, FDP faction deputy chairman Ralf Witzel inquired whether Hendrik Wüst, the successor to former government leader Armin Laschet (both CDU), had "communicated new standards for costs."
Harald Hemmer, head of the central department of the State Chancellery, denied this. He stated that cost consciousness had been present even before Wüst took office in October 2021, and that this could be substantiated with emails. Laschet had decided to move from the luxurious Stadttor building in Düsseldorf to the historic Landeshaus after taking office in 2017.
The finance committee was examining allegations of corruption surrounding the renovation of the State Chancellery. The costs for the extensive construction work were initially estimated at approximately 33.6 million euros, but are now projected to reach 55 million euros. Additional costs for security measures in the double-digit millions are also expected. The state government has primarily attributed this to general cost increases and unforeseen circumstances encountered during construction.
According to the public prosecutor’s office and the state criminal investigation office (LKA), corruption during the construction work is alleged to have caused damages in the millions. Investigations are ongoing against seven defendants, including employees of the state-owned building and property management agency (BLB). Staff members of the State Chancellery, which occupies the building as a tenant, are not among the suspects.
In a report to the state parliament, the Ministry of Finance presented a list of expensive measures that Wüst had crossed out or reduced with handwritten marginal notes the previous year. The opposition party, the SPD, questioned why these pages, "where Wüst presents himself as a savings commissioner," were made public, while cost increases and critical aspects were concealed in a confidential report of around 200 pages.
Witzel also inquired about the principle of economic efficiency in the procurement of corridor lights costing 640 euros each—a total of over 300 for the entire State Chancellery, according to Hemmer. However, it should be noted that the State Chancellery is only a tenant, the department head explained. It could only express preferences within the framework of proposals and contracts drawn up between the BLB and the lead architect.
The opposition also questioned the fact that Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) was initially not informed of the investigations by the internal audit department and the LKA, either by his State Secretary or the department head. According to the Finance Minister, there were "very clear instructions for all parties involved from the LKA" not to inform him in order to "avoid jeopardizing the investigation’s success."
Optendrenk emphasized that the most important priority was to protect the investigation. "The LKA told everyone involved: ‘Please keep a low profile.’"
The Finance Minister stated that the results of all internal and external investigations commissioned must first be awaited before any further action is taken. He assured that everything will be thoroughly examined. At the BLB, there has already been one precautionary suspension and one transfer. He said that no further damages or negative consequences for taxpayers are to be expected, but that the presumption of innocence, duty of care, and proportionality must also be taken into account in any labor law measures.
