Baden-Württemberg: Court negotiates AfD lawsuit about election advertising

Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - On June 2, the administrative court in Stuttgart will hear the lawsuit brought by the AfD parliamentary group for the repayment of 11,241.

Baden-Württemberg: Court negotiates AfD lawsuit about election advertising

Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - On June 2, the administrative court in Stuttgart will hear the lawsuit brought by the AfD parliamentary group for the repayment of 11,241.53 euros to the state parliament. This was announced by a court spokesman for the German Press Agency on Wednesday. Parliament is demanding the amount back because it is said to have been illegally used by the party for election advertising in the 2017 federal election campaign.

The process has dragged on for years. A spokesman for the state parliament had declared in the past that the amount to be reclaimed would not expire. In principle, repayment is due immediately. However, the state parliament administration had declared that it would only enforce the payment obligation once the decision had become final.

Above all, it is about a campaign that the AfD showed on a video screen on the Pragsattel in Stuttgart. For example, the then Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas (SPD) was mocked as the character Gollum from the fantasy classic "Lord of the Rings".

State President Muhterem Aras (Greens) had rated this campaign as a violation of the parliamentary group law and asked the Court of Auditors for a special audit. The background: The funds of the parliamentary groups are fed from taxpayers' money. In principle, they may not be used for party purposes, i.e. not for election advertising.

The AfD had described the allegations as unfounded and said it would have the matter clarified in court if necessary.