Overview
- The prosecutors formally closed the corruption proceedings against Finance Minister Katja Wolf and Infrastructure Minister Steffen Schütz due to an absence of sufficient suspicion.
- Initial investigations into alleged bribery arose from an anonymous tip in January 2024, shortly after Wolf joined the BSW from the Left.
- Ministers maintained that their New Year’s 2023/24 stay on Schütz’s Mallorca finca was a self-funded work meeting to develop Eisenach’s bid for the Zukunftszentrum Deutsche Einheit.
- Only Wolf faced a phone interrogation eight months after the trip, and Schütz was never interviewed during the probe.
- Both ministers expressed relief at the dismissal and warned of the damage that unfounded allegations can inflict on personal reputations and political careers.