Overview
- The Bundesrechnungshof reports that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees paid €8.4 million to a coordinating NGO over three years with insufficient scrutiny.
- The Interior Ministry says BAMF will demand repayments and charge interest after auditors detailed ineligible or poorly justified spending.
- Questioned expenses include a leased coffee machine with supplies, three fitted kitchens, three leased cars, a €3,000 generator, and €120,000 for a short‑lived website.
- Auditors cite governance breaches such as an out‑of‑scale salary for the coordinator, irregular travel claims, and procurement lapses, and they urge recovery of the two later kitchen purchases.
- A May 2024 on‑site check flagged misuse but payments continued, while earlier limited recoveries were made and courts have upheld some individual admissions after the program’s closure.