Two Thuringian state ministers, Katja Wolf and Steffen Schütz, of the BSW party, have had their immunity lifted due to corruption allegations. The Justice Committee of the Thuringian State Parliament made this decision, paving the way for investigations against the two politicians, who are also state parliament members. According to dpa, citing sources from the committee, the move follows an anonymous complaint.
Wolf and Schütz confirmed the lifting of their immunity, stating that they are not aware of the content of the complaint and will cooperate fully and transparently once the allegations are known. The Erfurt State Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment initially.
The allegations, reportedly dating back to a time before their assumption of office, concern a trip to Mallorca by Wolf, then the Oberbürgermeisterin of Eisenach, to a private estate owned by Schütz, ahead of the 2024 state parliament election. Schütz’s marketing firm was involved in the bid for Eisenach to host a future center for the German Unity and European Transformation, which ultimately went to the city of Halle. The Erfurt State Prosecutor’s Office is said to be investigating whether Wolf received a bribe from Schütz in connection with the Mallorca trip.
Wolf and Schütz, who were elected to the Thuringian State Parliament after the 2024 election, are now the state’s finance and digital and infrastructure ministers, respectively, in the cabinet of new Minister President Mario Voigt (CDU), who has formed a coalition with the BSW and SPD parties.