Current:Home > StocksGermany’s parliament lifts immunity for prosecution of a far-right lawmaker-LoTradeCoin
Germany’s parliament lifts immunity for prosecution of a far-right lawmaker
View Date:2024-12-23 19:26:29
BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Thursday lifted the immunity from prosecution of one of the far-right Alternative for Germany party’s top candidates in the upcoming European Parliament election as he faces an investigation.
The German parliament’s lower house, or Bundestag, voted to lift Petr Bystron’s immunity to clear the way for searches in connection with the investigation. Lawmakers from Alternative for Germany, or AfD, abstained.
Prosecutors in Munich said they were investigating a member of the Bundestag on an “initial suspicion” of corruption and money laundering, without offering more details. They would not identify the lawmaker, but German news agency dpa and other media reported that it was Bystron.
Prosecutors said properties in Berlin, Bavaria and on the Spanish island of Mallorca were being searched Thursday and documents and other evidence seized.
Bystron is currently a lawmaker in Germany’s national parliament but is the no. 2 on his party’s list for the June election to the European Union’s legislature. Last month he denied allegations in a Czech daily that he may have received money from a pro-Russian network.
AfD’s co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, said in a joint statement that the lifting of Bystron’s immunity and searches of his home and office space were “a serious event” and that no proof has been offered so far for the accusations against him.
They said AfD’s parliamentary group hopes for a quick conclusion to the investigation so that the impression doesn’t arise of an attempt by authorities to influence the European Parliament election campaign.
The investigation adds to events that have cast an unflattering light on AfD, which has enjoyed strong support in recent months.
Last month, an assistant to Maximilian Krah, a European Parliament lawmaker who is the top candidate on AfD’s list for next month’s election, was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. German government and mainstream opposition lawmakers have assailed the party for its alleged closeness to Russia and China.
On Monday, a court ruled that Germany’s domestic intelligence agency was justified in putting the party under observation for suspected extremism. AfD has portrayed the designation as a political attempt to discredit the party and said it will seek to appeal.
And on Tuesday, another court ruled in a separate case that Björn Höcke, the leader of one of AfD"s regional branches and one of the party’s best-known figures, knowingly used a Nazi slogan in a speech and ordered him to pay a fine.
veryGood! (91)
Related
- South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
- Supreme Court turns away challenge to Maryland assault weapons ban
- Bankruptcy judge approves Genesis Global plan to refund $3 billion to creditors, crypto customers
- Will Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Kids Follow in Her Acting Footsteps? She Says…
- Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
- Timberwolves oust reigning champion Nuggets from NBA playoffs with record rally in Game 7
- Off-duty police officer injured in shooting in Washington, DC
- New York-Dublin video link is back up after shutdown for bad behavior
- Inflation ticked up in October, CPI report shows. What happens next with interest rates?
- Google is making smart phone upgrades. Is Apple next?
Ranking
- All Social Security retirees should do this by Nov. 20
- Kandi Burruss Breaks Silence on Real Housewives of Atlanta's Major Cast Shakeup
- Zac Brown's Ex Kelly Yazdi Says She Will Not Be Silenced in Scathing Message Amid Divorce
- At least 68 dead in Afghanistan after flash floods caused by unusually heavy seasonal rains
- The 15 quickest pickup trucks MotorTrend has ever tested
- Honda, Ford, BMW among 199,000 vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Cargo ship Dali refloated to a marina 8 weeks after Baltimore bridge collapse
- Simone Biles won big at U.S. Classic with Taylor Swift routine. Who might join her on Team USA?
Recommendation
-
Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
-
Timberwolves oust reigning champion Nuggets from NBA playoffs with record rally in Game 7
-
Microsoft’s AI chatbot will ‘recall’ everything you do on a PC
-
Harry Styles and Taylor Russell Break Up After Less Than a Year of Dating
-
What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
-
Still unsure about college? It's not too late to apply for scholarships or even school.
-
Pakistani nationals studying in Kyrgyzstan asked to stay indoors after mobs attack foreigners, foreign ministry says
-
Analysis: New screens, old strategy. Streamers like Netflix, Apple turn to good old cable bundling