Status: 13.03.2021 12:37 p.m.
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The Union meets allegations of corruption in connection with Azerbaijan. Like researching with Contrasts show that there have long been contacts there and with Kazakhstan, which has an equally authoritarian and corrupt leadership.
By Silvia Stöber, tagesschau.de, and Andrea Becker,
rbb
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When the parliamentarians meet in the Council of Europe, they are usually preceded by hustle and bustle in the “Palais de l’Europe” in Strasbourg. MEPs from the 47 member states vote in the parliamentary groups or individually. When heads of government appear in plenary sessions, questions are coordinated in order to exert targeted pressure. Or it is about voting behavior when accepting reports on human rights violations in individual member states.
In the latter case, MEPs evidently allowed themselves to be corrupted and broke the rules of conduct of the Council of Europe. An independent investigation commissioned by the Council of Europe came to the conclusion in 2018, and it had consequences.
The CDU member of the Bundestag Karin Strenz and the former CSU member of the Bundestag Eduard Lintner were banned from the Council of Europe for life. Lintner had worked as a lobbyist for the authoritarian Azerbaijan. Funds flowed to Strenz, among others, through his companies and banks. Like other MEPs in the Council of Europe, she campaigned for the country on the Caspian Sea – especially in connection with a report on political prisoners from 2013.
Imprisonment for corruption
It was not until January that the Italian conservative Luca Volontè was sentenced to four years in prison by a court in Milan. He appealed on a revision. Italian investigative journalist Sara Menafra estimates that the Supreme Court’s verdict is not to be expected for years.
Investigations are ongoing against Strenz, Lintner and a lawyer. According to an advertisement from Transparency International 2019, the Rostock public prosecutor initially saw no reason for this. But then the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt am Main took up the case and initiated searches of the two offices and private homes. In the meantime, the public prosecutor’s office in Munich took over and had the CDU MP Axel Fischer searched because of the initial suspicion of bribery.
To make this possible, the Bundestag lifted the immunity for Strenz and Fischer. Strenz also received a fine of 19,000 euros, the highest possible fine in the Bundestag for members of the Bundestag. But she is still exercising her mandate and so far – unlike party colleagues in the current mask affair – has not drawn any conclusions.
Traditional proximity to Azerbaijan
Like researching with the ARD-Politikmagazin Contrast shows, Union politicians have long been noticed through contacts with Azerbaijan, which is rich in oil and gas. Many activities are not illegal. They fall into a gray area or are regarded as maintaining contacts. But you can help the leadership around President Ilham Aliyev, who govern the state in an authoritarian manner and with massive corruption deprive it of resources.
As early as 2010, the then chairman of the Junge Union, Philipp Missfelder, confirmed that he was acquainted with Tale Heydarov. The son of the powerful Minister for Emergency Situations was engaged in intensive lobbying for his country with the organization “The Europen Azerbaijan Society”. Reports on Heydarov’s links with politicians in Europe were found on the organization’s website.
The recently resigned members of the Bundestag Mark Hauptmann and Nikolas Löbel also attracted attention years ago with their pro-Azerbaijani positions. Hauptmann organized “economic dialogues” with Baku and gave Azerbaijan a platform in his constituency newspaper. Löbel sponsored events of the Young Union from Azerbaijan. CDU State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Thomas Bareiß, has been facing accusations of lobbying in favor of Azerbaijan since Friday.
Temptations from Baku
Azerbaijan relied on exerting influence in Europe and the USA long before Russia relied on massive propaganda and disinformation from 2014 onwards.
This included pressure on critical politicians such as the then SPD MP Christoph Strässer with a media campaign and the refusal of a visa against him on the one hand, and travel, gifts and lavish fees for well-balanced politicians on the other.
One goal was to find support in the conflict with warring Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Before the third war broke out in the region last autumn, Aliyev had been increasingly aggressive and had long spoken of a military solution. A victory had become realistic through extensive arms purchases abroad, while international pressure for a peaceful way out was lacking.
Azerbaijan is also looking for investors in new industries as oil resources are now running dry. Another goal is to give one’s own population the impression that other countries consider the government to be democratic. With every positive statement by a West European politician that the media close to the government spread, the opposition gets further on the defensive. Many government critics lost confidence in organizations such as the EU and the Council of Europe.
Weighted election observers
Statements by “international election observers” are particularly important for securing power. MEPs like Strenz and Fischer also played a role there. In 2010, Lintner had also engaged the CDU parliamentary group colleague Manfred Grund, as Strenz reported on her website.
Union MPs are also active east of the Caspian Sea: Strenz and Grund are also interested in good relations with Kazakhstan. This state also has energy resources. It is ruled in an authoritarian manner and is known for international corruption scandals, which meanwhile fill books with titles such as “Dictators Without Borders”.
Both are active on the board of the German-Kazakh Society. Grund received the highest foreign order in Kazakhstan. He is a welcome guest at the Kazakh embassy, where he can be personally informed about the most important points in the President’s annual message. Strenz, in turn, co-founded the “Berlin Eurasian Club” in 2012, which aims to promote economic relations with Kazakhstan.
On her website, Strenz is full of praise for the “building work” and the “courageous transformations” under the leadership of Nursultan Naserbajew – 29 years president and since 2019 “leader of the nation” and head of the National Security Council.
In 2015, Strenz had the opportunity to inform him personally because she was on site as an election observer. Nazarbayev was re-elected with 97 percent of the vote. The Kazakh press quoted Strenz with words of praise for the high level of electoral activity in the country. So far, she has not made any information public about who invited her and paid for the trip.
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