BERLIN — Ursula von der Leyen is planning for a brand new job as European Commission chief in Brussels, nevertheless the German defense minister continues to have concerns to resolve home.
An investigative committee for the German parliament — the most challenging tool that lawmakers may use to probe federal government misdeeds — is searching into exactly exactly just how profitable agreements from her ministry had been awarded to outside experts without the right oversight, and whether a system of casual individual connections facilitated those discounts.
As well as the lawmakers looking at the scenario say von der Leyen will nevertheless need certainly to face their concerns regardless if this woman is verified as Commission president in a vote into the European Parliament on Tuesday.
“Whatever job Ms. von der Leyen has when you look at the won’t that is future at all the truth that the committee will subpoena and concern her,” said Tobias Lindner, an associate of parliament while the protection policy representative for the Greens opposition celebration.
“What occurred within the past into the protection ministry under her leadership happened — and we’ll arrive at the base of that.”
The auditors’ primary critique wasn’t that the ministry covered outside expertise. Instead, it absolutely was in regards to the real means agreements had been awarded.
Von der Leyen and her ministry declined needs for interviews because of this tale. Final November, she told the German parliament there have been “mistakes” in exactly just how outside experts had been employed and said “this never ever must have occurred.” But she defended the usage such specialists, saying they’d escort Montgomery AL been needed to undertake a giant overhaul regarding the ministry.
Von der Leyen blamed the dilemmas on a combination of negligence, corner-cutting and mistakes by people overrun by their work. But other people have actually submit a less innocent description — that some specialists had privileged use of ministry officials that aided them circumvent rules and win contracts worth scores of euros.
Though there is not any suggestion that von der Leyen herself ended up being element of this community, the increased use of outside specialists is a hallmark of her tenure as protection minister.
Interviews with people of the investigative committee, witness testimony and papers acquired by POLITICO all recommend outside experts have now been in a position to gain growing impact on the internal workings associated with protection ministry throughout the five . 5 years that von der Leyen has been doing fee.
Whenever von der Leyen faces the committee, she will probably additionally face questions regarding an interior inquiry by her ministry in to the event | Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
“right from the start it had been Ms. von der Leyen’s desire and governmental intention that outside experts would gain impact,” said Matthias Höhn, a part of parliament therefore the representative on safety policy for the left-wing Die Linke celebration.
Whenever von der Leyen faces the committee, she will probably additionally face questions regarding an inquiry that is internal her ministry to the event. A member of parliament for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in that investigation, “central questions weren’t asked, suspicions weren’t followed up,” said Dennis Rohde.
“All with this, me, was a crude attempt to distract from misconduct and cover up for people among the leadership,” Rohde added if you ask.
Critique of this ministry throughout the scandal has arrived from numerous opposition events plus the SPD, the junior partner in Germany’s coalition government. People of von der Leyen’s conservative camp have actually supported her as well as the ministry but also many of them have now been significantly less than full-throated inside their protection.
Here’s the lowdown on what’s become referred to as Berateraffäre (consultant scandal):