Overview

• The Berlin Administrative Court has advanced a lawsuit by Die Partei, which seeks to have an €820,000 donation to the Berlin CDU declared illegal and sanctioned.
• The court has scheduled donor Christoph Gröner to testify on August 28 to clarify whether the donation was tied to any political expectations.
• The Bundestagsverwaltung had cleared the 2020 donation in July 2023, stating no violation of the Parties Act occurred, but this conclusion has been disputed.
• Lobbycontrol, an NGO, published a report in September 2023 suggesting the donation was likely illegal, intensifying calls for stricter oversight of party financing.
• The case raises broader questions about whether a competing party can legally compel administrative action to ensure political equality under German law.