EU committee calls for lifting immunity of politician from the Europe of Sovereign Nations group
Brussels (dpa) – The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has voted for a renewed lifting of the immunity of the member of parliament Petr Bystron from the Europe of Sovereign Nations group. Bystron is a member of the German party Alternative for Germany (AfD). A large majority of the members of the committee spoke in favor of this, as was confirmed to the German Press Agency from parliamentary circles in Brussels. For the immunity of the member of parliament to actually be lifted and for him to be prosecuted, a majority in the full parliament must also agree. The vote is expected to take place at the plenary session in February in Strasbourg.
The background, according to the Munich Public Prosecutor General’s Office, is preliminary investigations on suspicion of fraud. During his time as a member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, Bystron may have billed a private cleaner via the Bundestag’s staff allowance, according to a spokesperson. Bystron initially did not want to comment on the specific allegations. The public prosecutor’s office was currently making a big fool of itself, it was said from his side.
Immunity already lifted several times
Bystron’s immunity in the EU Parliament had already been lifted twice because of other proceedings, and the German Bundestag had previously allowed investigations as well. In one case, the Munich District Court sentenced him to a fine for distributing a photo montage on social media. The verdict is not final; both the defense and the public prosecutor’s office lodged appeals.
In the other case, there is suspicion of money laundering and bribery. The politician is said to have received money from the pro-Russian portal “Voice of Europe” in order to act in the Bundestag in Russia’s interests in return. Bystron himself has consistently rejected the accusations against him and described the proceedings as politically motivated. The investigations are ongoing. (28 January)
