Experts allege cronyism played role in prize of agreements millions that are worth German protection ministry.

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Experts allege cronyism played role in prize of agreements millions that are worth German protection ministry.

BERLIN — Ursula von der Leyen is planning for a career that is new European Commission chief in Brussels, however the German protection minister continues to have questions to respond to back home .

An investigative committee associated with German parliament — the most challenging tool that lawmakers may use to probe federal federal government misdeeds — is searching into exactly just how profitable agreements from her ministry had been granted to outside experts without the right oversight, and whether a community of casual personal connections facilitated those discounts.

In addition to lawmakers considering the actual situation say von der Leyen will still need to face their concerns regardless of if this woman is verified as Commission president in a vote into the European Parliament on Tuesday.

“Whatever job Ms. von der Leyen has within the won’t that is future at all the truth that the committee will subpoena and concern her,” said Tobias Lindner, an associate of parliament plus the protection policy representative for the Greens opposition celebration.

“What took place within the past when you look at the protection ministry under her leadership happened — and we’ll reach the bottom of that.”

The auditors’ primary critique wasn’t that the ministry taken care of outside expertise. Instead, it absolutely was in regards to the means agreements had been awarded.

Von der Leyen and her ministry declined needs for interviews with this tale. Final November, she told the German parliament there have been “mistakes” in just just how outside experts were employed and said “this never ever need occurred.” But she defended the usage such experts, saying that they had been required to undertake a large overhaul for the ministry.

Von der Leyen blamed the nagging issues on a combination of negligence, corner-cutting and errors by people overrun by their work. But other people have actually submit a less innocent description — that some specialists had privileged use of ministry officials that aided them circumvent rules and win contracts well well worth scores of euros.

That von der Leyen herself was part of this network, the increased use of external consultants has been a hallmark of her tenure as defense minister although there is no suggestion.

Interviews with people in the committee that is investigative witness testimony and papers obtained by POLITICO all recommend outside experts have already been in a position to gain growing impact on the internal workings regarding the protection ministry through the five . 5 years that von der Leyen has been around fee.

Whenever von der Leyen faces the committee, she will probably additionally face questions regarding an inside inquiry by her ministry to the event | Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images

“right from the start it had been Ms. von der Leyen’s desire and intention that is political external experts would gain impact,” said Matthias Höhn, a part of parliament in addition to spokesperson on protection policy for the left-wing Die Linke celebration.

Whenever von der Leyen faces the committee, she will probably also face questions regarding a internal inquiry by her ministry to the event. For the reason that research, “central concerns weren’t asked, suspicions weren’t followed up,” said Dennis Rohde, a part of parliament when it comes to center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

“All with this, me, was a crude attempt to distract from misconduct and cover up for people among the leadership,” Rohde added if you ask.

Critique associated with the ministry within the scandal has arrived from numerous opposition events plus the SPD, the junior partner in Germany’s coalition government. People of von der Leyen’s camp that is conservative supported her while the ministry but also many of them have already been not as much as full-throated within their protection.

Here’s the lowdown on what’s become referred to as Berateraffäre (consultant scandal):

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