Bundestags representative Caroline Bosbach (CDU) is facing allegations of defamation stemming from accusations that she caused financial harm to the CDU party through the retention of approximately €2,500 in party funds. The allegations center around a purported false invoice submitted by a former campaign assistant.
Bosbach’s legal counsel, Ralf Höcker, issued a statement on Friday asserting the accusations are unfounded. He characterized the claims as part of a “perfidious revenge campaign” orchestrated by a former employee who was terminated and had previously signed non-disclosure agreements related to criminal offenses. The former employee reportedly accepted the termination without resistance and covered associated legal costs.
According to Höcker, the individual waited three months – the period during which Bosbach could have filed criminal charges – before initiating this campaign with the stated goal of damaging her reputation. The legal team emphatically denies the existence of a false invoice or any resulting financial loss for the CDU. Instead, they claim a campaign assistant, who maintains a close relationship with the former employee, demonstrably fulfilled all services billed to the party, with extensive documentation available to support this. The motivation behind the assistant’s decision to falsely implicate himself remains known and will be revealed during further investigations.
Even if the campaign assistant’s claims were accurate, Höcker argues that the CDU would not have suffered any financial detriment. Bosbach reportedly possesses documentation demonstrating she did not submit several thousand euros in personal campaign expenses for reimbursement from the party. Furthermore, Bosbach proactively transferred an additional €2,500 to the CDU shortly after the allegations surfaced to dispel any doubts.
Bosbach’s legal team states that the party is entirely welcome to retain this sum, suggesting it can be recorded as either a “purported damages payment” or a donation from Bosbach, depending on their conclusions following their own investigations.
Reports from RTL and Stern on Friday morning initially detailed allegations that the CDU parliamentary representative was facing internal accusations of misappropriating party funds for personal use.
The controversy originates from a self-disclosure made to the police by a former CDU employee alleging the submission of a fraudulent invoice in January 2025 for campaign services totaling €2,500. The funds purportedly received by the employee were allegedly withdrawn in two installments and subsequently delivered to Bosbach at her residence in Bergisch-Gladbach.
The situation has generated unrest within the CDU Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis local chapter. Relevant documentation pertaining to the case has already been forwarded to the Cologne Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Bosbach has served in the Bundestag since the beginning of the current term, having been directly elected in the Rhein Berg constituency with 42.2% of the first-vote share. She is the daughter of long-standing CDU parliamentary representative Wolfgang Bosbach.
