Scholz defends work of anti-money laundering unit FIU before investigative committee

Olaf Scholz

Contrary to expectations, the Federal Minister of Finance appeared in person in Berlin.

(Photo: dpa)

Berlin Just a few days before the Bundestag election, the SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz presented himself personally to the Bundestag Finance Committee to answer questions about the investigation against the FIU money laundering unit. The Federal Finance Minister surprisingly arrived at the Paul Löbe House of the Bundestag in Berlin in the morning after it had previously been said that he would only be connected to the special session of the committee.

After the almost three-hour interview, Scholz said that the FIU worked and worked with other authorities, that work processes were constantly being optimized so that criminals did not go undetected.

Scholz pointed out that the reporting volume at the FIU has already tripled from 50,000 to 150,000. That will tend to double again in the near future. The opposition, but also the CDU / CSU, demand clarification from Scholz about the suspicion that he did not properly exercise his duty of supervision towards the unit.

The chairman of the AfD in the finance committee, Kay Gottschalk, was not convinced of the performance. “I think the minister simply did not understand his task here, he is not up to the task,” said Gottschalk. “And whoever does not hold the office of finance minister cannot, in my opinion, lead this country as Federal Chancellor.”

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Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet accused Scholz again of a lack of clarification. It is good that the SPD candidate for chancellor appeared in person in the finance committee after public pressure, said the CDU chief. But this is a matter of course. The mere consideration of not appearing in person is a “weakening of parliament”.

SPD leader Walter-Borjans accuses Union of scandalizing

He asked Scholz to publish all documents on Cum-Ex as well. “Transparency is something else.” Scholz still “did not clear up the dimension that needs to be cleared up”.

The SPD chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans accused the Union of scandalizing the investigation. This is apparently a “last straw” for Chancellor candidate Laschet, said Walter-Borjans in Berlin. Apparently the Union lacks content. “I think it’s a scandal to deal with a topic like that.”

It was “absolutely honorable” that Scholz personally presented himself to the MPs in the finance committee to answer questions about the investigation against the FIU. In order to be able to keep the appointment in the Bundestag committee, Scholz canceled two election campaign dates in Baden-Württemberg.

The Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office carried out searches in the Federal Finance and Justice Ministry last week. According to the ministries, it was not about suspects from both departments, but about investigations against the special unit FIU, which belongs to customs and thus to the business area of ​​the Ministry of Finance.

Money laundering investigations: Scholz is on the committee to answer questions

The background to this is the allegation that the FIU should not have forwarded money laundering reports from the banks to the police and the judiciary. The opposition, but also the coalition partner Union, accuse Scholz of not having his ministry and the subordinate areas under control.

More: Olaf Scholz counters Merz ‘comments on inflation: “That is obviously nonsense”

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