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Updated 19:31
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The motto in his résumé is: “Help people in all situations”. The Spandau SPD politician Christian Haß (57) also knew how to help himself: when he was short of funds, he instructed an employee several times to transfer money to his private account – from the parliamentary group’s coffers filled with taxpayers’ money!
“As some of you know, I had been unemployed for some time and had various health problems. During this time I was not doing well financially, ”wrote Haß in a letter to his comrades in the District Assembly (BVV). However, only after the irregularities were exposed during an overhaul.
Hatred himself speaks of an “employee loan”. Unfortunately, he had neglected to allow the parliamentary group executive committee to vote on it, and there is no written contract either.
“This process does not meet my own requirements,” he continues. At the end of December, the close confidante of Spandau’s SPD leader Raed Saleh (43) vacated his post as parliamentary group leader after twelve years.
How much parliamentary group money did he get transferred? “I won’t give you any information about that. For me the matter is closed, ”he said to the BZ. He paid everything back. According to BZ information, however, sometimes only after months. It should be about several thousand euros.
Whether a district politician is allowed to borrow money from the parliamentary group fund is still being examined. “I am sure that this is not okay,” says Alexander Kraus from the taxpayers’ association. “Public funds are not there to plug your own financial holes.” At the level of the Berlin House of Representatives, the lawyers at least know no such case.
Haß had been unemployed for almost two years, having previously worked for GEMA for 33 years. In the meantime he has found a new job. He says he has no more time to chair the group anyway.
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