Overview
- The Bundestag retained €2,349,906.62 after an August decision by President Julia Klöckner that the in-kind poster donation constituted an illegal straw-man contribution.
- The AfD reported the donation as a large-scale poster campaign from Austrian supporter Gerhard Dingler during the early-2025 election period.
- Parliamentary administrators received an Austrian anti–money laundering notice and a photographed gift contract indicating Dingler received about €2.6 million from billionaire Henning Conle shortly before the donation.
- The AfD’s lawsuit (VG 2 K 410/25) argues the parliament has not proven a straw-donor scheme; treasurer Carsten Hütter says the party found no indications of such and cites Dingler’s written assurances the funds were his.
- An Austrian money-laundering inquiry tied to the transfers was opened and closed in May, and court proceedings in Berlin are expected to take months.