For first time, federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) and head of bamf, Jutta Cordt, had to appear at a special meeting of Internal Affairs Committee in Bundestag because of scandal surrounding Bremen branch of Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
For half hours, parliamentarians asked head of authorities and Minister. In Bremen, employees and asylum lawyers were asked to ensure that refugees were given asylum, although re was a legal basis for this. Up to 1,200 people – also from or federal states for which bamf was not responsible in Bremen – should have received a residence permit between 2013 and 2016.
The first clues should have already been 2014. But apparently no one was consistently following m. Neir in Nuremberg headquarters nor in competent Federal ministry. The parliamentarians now wanted to know: How could this happen?
What brought internal committee new?Not much. Neir Seehofer nor Cordt were in office at time in question, neir of m is entangled in incidents or has first-hand knowledge of it. Cordt presented a report to members. However, many participants in meeting say that re is still time to examine and evaluate paper thoroughly.
The Greens had sent several pages of questions to Ministry of Interior before Committee. Shortly before start of meeting y received a written reply from ministry. It is clear from this that former head of Bremen authority, Josefa Schmidt, has made heavy statements to Federal office in a report. So she accused headquarters in Nuremberg of having destroyed files. The ministry rejects it. If anything, files with reference to data protection have been deleted. The faults its mainly due to fact that in Bremen "deliberate rules and regulations were neglected".
Seehofer said after special session, according to information that was available to him, it would not be possible to prove that administration of authority at that time could already have had knowledge of scandal. But he doesn't want to rule it out eir.
The boss once again protested her version of story: in January 2017 she took over authority. In March, for first time, she had found a disciplinary procedure with Bremen authority and thus became aware of scandal. In October, after suspicions had hardened, she demanded a first test report. From 4,500 cases, more than 150 were examined. At end of December, result had been passed to Public Prosecutor's office immediately. All interim notices have taken m seriously and persecuted m. "Nothing is hushed up with me," said Cordt.
and political evaluation of Committee?Even opposition politicians praise fact that Seehofer is at least as active as if he was seeking clarification. Even before committee meeting, Ministry had answered 30 pages of questions from Green Group. So what else lasts a few months, says a green appreciative.
The appearance of Cordt is also rated positive by many. She answered all questions and contributed to Enlightenment, said chairman of Committee, Andrea Lindholz.
Is re a committee of inquiry?So far it doesn't look like it. Because positions are old acquaintances. AfD and FDP continue to be on a committee of inquiry, but alone have not enough votes to use one.
The Greens, who had not previously ruled this out in principle, do not do so afterwards. But y remain sceptical: A committee lasts too long, results are delayed – until after Landtag election in Bavaria.
The left and CDU are against it, too. The Chairman of Union group in Internal Committee, Armin Schuster, finds: dimension of case is simply not for a committee of inquiry. The Bremen branch office with a criminally relevant asylum fraud was in dire condition. But that is not transferable to entire authority. In addition, Public Prosecutor's Office and Federal Court of Auditors, Federal Police, constitutional protection, Federal Criminal Police Office and an accounting firm were already identified. A committee could not provide any more relevant.
Date Of Update: 30 May 2018, 12:02
