Sigmar Gabriel was a consultant at Tönnies Politics for three months

According to a media report, former economics minister and SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel worked for the meat company Tönnies as a consultant from March to the end of May 2020. Gabriel had received a flat fee of 10,000 euros per month and an additional four-figure fee for each day of travel, the ARD political magazine “Panorama” reported. The job was therefore scheduled for two years.

Gabriel confirmed the information to “Panorama”. He advised the company, which was criticized for the corona contagion in its main factory in the district of Gütersloh, on impending export problems in connection with African swine fever. However, his work has now ended: “I had to quit this job due to a difficult illness and a complicated operation that became necessary for me on May 31, 2020. At that time it was not clear to me whether and if so when I would resume my professional activities can record. “

Gabriel further stated that he did not have to publish these “private sector activities”. However, he responded to the “Panorama” request “due to the special public interest in the present case and also due to the fact that neither I nor my business partners consider the previous consulting work for the Tönnies company as problematic”.

Tönnies is regarded as an entrepreneur with diverse contacts to politicians at all levels. It is known that he and Gabriel know each other. A document shows that Tönnies personally made efforts to serve Gabriel. Apparently, this is primarily about sales in the Chinese market and “communication advice in cases selected by the client”.

The cooperation is delicate because Gabriel had criticized the meat industry as the Federal Minister of Economics. With reference to the hair-raising living and working conditions of Eastern European workers, he spoke of a “shame for Germany” in early 2015. Thereupon, according to “Panorama”, Gabriel visited the Tönnies plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrück and was personally guided through the production by the boss.

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