WDH/Court: Questions About Lindner's Bank Salute Must Be Answered Boerse Express.com

(Repeat: Corrected typo in title: “Lindners”.)

BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Following a court ruling, Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP) must provide information to the media about a salute at a bank and a real estate loan from the financial institution – but not generally about private business relationships . As the administrative court in Berlin ruled in summary proceedings with reference to freedom of the press, the Federal Ministry of Finance must answer four questions about a video greeting by Lindner in May 2022 to a bank of private customers in Karlsruhe. Overall, the applicant, a Tagesspiegel editor, requested information on nine issues, a court spokeswoman announced on Monday. (Ref.: VG 27 L 28/23)

The court ruled that the ministry did not need to answer questions about the minister’s other private business dealings. These are not official but private. “The mere fact that a minister in this capacity has created ministerial salutes for private companies with which he has or has had a private business relationship does not justify the assumption that he mixed his private interests with official activities,” Reason said.

According to the court, it is possible to appeal to the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg against the decision. The Federal Finance Ministry did not comment on the decision.

Newspapers reported, among other things, that Lindner had obtained another loan from the same bank after the video greeting. The minister denied the accusations. His lawyer and the Ministry of Finance announced at the time that greetings on birthdays are part of a minister’s role.

Last January, Berlin’s public prosecutor’s office announced that the anti-corruption office “had no initial suspicion of criminal behavior” in relation to the real estate loan./mvk/DP/men

AXC0156 2023-07-03/14:07