No bribe scandal: State Chancellery Project relieves BLB employees!

No bribe scandal: State Chancellery Project relieves BLB employees!

Düsseldorf, Deutschland - The investigation into the state-owned construction and property operation (BLB) NRW, which are involved in the renovation of the State Chancellery, does not provide any evidence of bribes. As dewezet.de were reported four months after the Razzien, which took place in mid-January and Searched 57 objects together with the BLB headquarters, relieved the four accused employees. The suspicion of bribery, limited competition, infidelity and fraud was not confirmed by the Wuppertal public prosecutor.

In this context, the Deloitte auditing agency, which supported the investigation, emphasizes that the BLB employees acted under massive pressure, but has no evidence of incriminated payments. The employees often searched for the short official path, not out of corrupt motifs, but in view of the pressure situation in which they were. The Deloitte report is also presented in the Budget Committee of the Landtag, where the results are to be discussed in detail.

Investigations and ongoing procedures

Despite the relief of the BLB employees, the investigation against other accused continues. Among other things, the focus is on an architect and two delivery companies. The public prosecutor is investigating a total of seven people, while there are still ambiguities about the exact processes and decision -makers. The SPD parliamentary group in the state parliament expresses new concerns and questions whether the project was carried out properly right from the start. The deputy parliamentary group leader Christian Dahm criticizes the consequences for the employees, who in his opinion were "put into the shop window".

The allegations about the renovation of the State Chancellery include considerable financial damage caused by influence on order contracts. The current budget for the renovation amounts to 72.2 million euros, which corresponds to an increase of 67 % due to factor such as pandemic, the Ukraine war and inflation. Nevertheless, the completion of the construction work in summer should be imminent.

political reactions and other questions

The former Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU) is associated with the selection of a specific architect that was hired without correct tendering procedures. The SPD's financial policy spokesman, Alexander Baer, ​​also expresses the fear that there could have been a "regime of fear" in the State Chancellery, which may have had a negative impact on decision -making.

The political debate about the scandal is being carried out intensively, in particular with regard to the responsibility of the State Chancellery and the former state government. The ambiguity, especially in the case of luxury acquisitions within the project, remains a sensitive topic.

The investigation and reports on the renovation of the State Chancellery show that there are many questions in state politics that urgently need to be clarified. t-online.de and wdr.de will continue to observe and report the developments. The next few months could be crucial for the political processing of the scandal.