**A tax official burns a tax return of the Gazprom-sponsored Climate Foundation. It now turns out that Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt was aware of this.**
Schwerin, Berlin The state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is coming under further pressure over the affair surrounding the construction of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. The focus has now shifted to Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt (Die Linke), who was informed at an early stage about the illegal destruction of tax documents of the state-affiliated climate foundation.
Although Parliament had repeatedly demanded clarification of the whereabouts of the documents, the minister kept her knowledge to herself. This is evidenced by documents from the judicial authorities obtained by Handelsblatt.
The red-red government under Manuela Schwesig (SPD) had established the climate foundation at the beginning of 2021 in order to be able to use it as a platform for the further construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The aim was to circumvent impending sanctions by the USA against the major project.
To finance the work on Nord Stream 2, the foundation received 20 million euros from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. The climate foundation filed a tax return with the tax office for this purpose, but it then disappeared.
A few days ago, the magazine “Cicero” reported that a tax official had already burned the tax return in the spring of 2022. The official was not responsible for the case according to past conditions, found the document however in their office. Because she feared trouble with her superiors, she took the tax return with her and then burned it in her mother’s fireplace, according to a report from the public prosecutor’s office to the Ministry of Justice in Schwerin.
Because her conscience bothered her, the official revealed herself some time later to her superior, who called in the public prosecutor’s office in Stralsund. On May 2 of last year, the investigators initiated proceedings against the tax official – and informed the Ministry of Justice. There the information of the investigators released large waves.
On these very days, the opposition had demanded clarification about the whereabouts of the missing tax return. Finance Minister Heiko Geue (SPD) stonewalled. His cabinet colleague Bernhardt also remained silent, although she had knowledge of the burned papers by May 10 at the latest.
On that day, the lawyer opened an assessment of the case on her computer, which a department head had prepared for her. The ministry’s internal system records who opened which document and when. An evaluation of the system is available to Handelsblatt.
Assholes
I feel like I have to make clear minister of justice for the state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern not Germany as a whole.
Corrupt Russian stooges
“Wandel durch Handel”!
I thought Wandel was supposed to be happening in Russia, not in Germany?
SPD 🤝 Linke.
An absolute classic.
How much did Putin pay for that to happen?
Why are articles about this subject being removed from this subreddit?
It’s obvious that the US did it. Sweden refused to publish their report of what happened and if Russia did it, they would never shut up about it.
I really hope something comes out of this and some people get arrested and not retired with a golden handshake.
Again this has NOTHING to do with the BOMBING but about funding and taxation re. the CONSTRUCTION of the pipeline.
11 comments
**A tax official burns a tax return of the Gazprom-sponsored Climate Foundation. It now turns out that Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt was aware of this.**
Schwerin, Berlin The state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is coming under further pressure over the affair surrounding the construction of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. The focus has now shifted to Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt (Die Linke), who was informed at an early stage about the illegal destruction of tax documents of the state-affiliated climate foundation.
Although Parliament had repeatedly demanded clarification of the whereabouts of the documents, the minister kept her knowledge to herself. This is evidenced by documents from the judicial authorities obtained by Handelsblatt.
The red-red government under Manuela Schwesig (SPD) had established the climate foundation at the beginning of 2021 in order to be able to use it as a platform for the further construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The aim was to circumvent impending sanctions by the USA against the major project.
To finance the work on Nord Stream 2, the foundation received 20 million euros from the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. The climate foundation filed a tax return with the tax office for this purpose, but it then disappeared.
A few days ago, the magazine “Cicero” reported that a tax official had already burned the tax return in the spring of 2022. The official was not responsible for the case according to past conditions, found the document however in their office. Because she feared trouble with her superiors, she took the tax return with her and then burned it in her mother’s fireplace, according to a report from the public prosecutor’s office to the Ministry of Justice in Schwerin.
Because her conscience bothered her, the official revealed herself some time later to her superior, who called in the public prosecutor’s office in Stralsund. On May 2 of last year, the investigators initiated proceedings against the tax official – and informed the Ministry of Justice. There the information of the investigators released large waves.
On these very days, the opposition had demanded clarification about the whereabouts of the missing tax return. Finance Minister Heiko Geue (SPD) stonewalled. His cabinet colleague Bernhardt also remained silent, although she had knowledge of the burned papers by May 10 at the latest.
On that day, the lawyer opened an assessment of the case on her computer, which a department head had prepared for her. The ministry’s internal system records who opened which document and when. An evaluation of the system is available to Handelsblatt.
Assholes
I feel like I have to make clear minister of justice for the state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern not Germany as a whole.
Corrupt Russian stooges
“Wandel durch Handel”!
I thought Wandel was supposed to be happening in Russia, not in Germany?
SPD 🤝 Linke.
An absolute classic.
How much did Putin pay for that to happen?
Why are articles about this subject being removed from this subreddit?
It’s obvious that the US did it. Sweden refused to publish their report of what happened and if Russia did it, they would never shut up about it.
I really hope something comes out of this and some people get arrested and not retired with a golden handshake.
Again this has NOTHING to do with the BOMBING but about funding and taxation re. the CONSTRUCTION of the pipeline.