Former CSU parliamentary representative Alfred Sauter has made serious allegations against the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Bavarian state government. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ), Sauter stated that investigators found no initial suspicion to justify the inquiry, yet the Public Prosecutor’s Office allegedly paraded itself through the office and five other locations, accompanied by over 50 people and media. He further alleged that the official justification for the raids and the freezing of his accounts stemmed from a perceived omission in the penal code-based on what “should” have been written-leading to the investigation. Sauter claimed this represented a constitutional breach because the Public Prosecutor’s Office overstepped its bounds concerning the legislative branch.
Sauter also criticized his fellow party members for how they handled the situation, specifically mentioning that CSU chairman Markus Söder had abandoned him. He expressed surprise at this treatment, given the positive messages of thanks Söder had sent to him via text about other matters. He recalled that Söder had previously thanked him through text messages for offering to procure masks, saying something to the effect of, “I will never forget that. In a positive sense, mind you”. Sauter contrasted Söder’s actions with those of former party heads, suggesting that Franz Josef Strauß would have approached the issue differently. Regarding Chairman Stoiber, Sauter admitted he wasn’t sure but believed even he would have considered alternatives.
When pressed by the FAZ on what Söder could have done, Sauter suggested Söder could have simply stated, “Alfred has also contributed to me being able to save so many lives”. Sauter also questioned why the free state itself did not procure the masks, pointing out that he maintained several connections offices in China.
For context, Sauter had offered the state government his services during the pandemic to acquire masks from China. Through a company owned by his children, he received a commission of 1.243 million Euros, which he stated he has since donated before the affair became public. During the controversy, Sauter was pressured out of the parliamentary group, with moral reasons cited for this action. Nevertheless, all legal proceedings regarding charges of bribery and corruption involving parliamentarians, up to the Federal Court of Justice, had acquitted him.
