Mainz. Prime Minister Malu Dreyer (SPD) distanced himself from Interior Minister Roger Lewentz, who is also the head of the SPD, after the sudden appearance of a report from the police helicopter squadron from the flood night.
When asked by RHEINPFALZ whether Lewentz still enjoyed Dreyer’s trust, the State Chancellery replied on Monday afternoon: “The Ministry of the Interior has already commented on the details to the press and is clarifying the events further. Prime Minister Malu Dreyer expects the Interior Minister to clarify the open questions. She has no personal knowledge of this process. We therefore ask for your understanding that she cannot take a further position until this has been clarified.”
Last week, Dreyer Lewentz expressed his confidence after he had given an explanation as to why videos from the flood night had been submitted to the committee of inquiry belatedly. Both the videos and the deployment report that appeared at the weekend show that the situation center of the Ministry of the Interior must have been aware of the dramatic situation in large parts of the Ahr Valley by the late evening of July 14, 2021. The pilots of the helicopter squadron flew through the valley for 50 minutes around 10 p.m. This refutes the statement by the Ministry and by Lewentz himself that they did not have a complete picture of the situation on the night of the flood and only knew of isolated events. On Wednesday, the state parliament will debate the flood disaster.
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