Overview
- The Berlin Administrative Court confirmed receipt of the AfD’s August lawsuit (VG 2 K 410/25) seeking the return of €2,349,906.62, with no hearing date set.
- Bundestag President Julia Klöckner issued an August ruling keeping the funds after investigators concluded the in‑kind poster campaign originated via a straw man.
- Documents sent to the Bundestag included an Austrian anti‑money‑laundering report and a December 16, 2024 gift contract indicating Gerhard Dingler received about €2.6 million from Henning Conle before the donation.
- The AfD says it found no evidence of a straw‑man arrangement, citing written assurances from Dingler that the support came from his private assets and asserting the party met its due‑diligence duties.
- Austria’s Feldkirch prosecutor opened a money‑laundering inquiry into the transfer but closed the case in May, while the AfD had already deposited the exact amount with the federal treasury in April to avert penalties.