Berlin, March 15, 2023 – The leader of the German Green Party, Felix Banaszak, has called for a comprehensive investigation into the mask purchases at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which were orchestrated by the then Health Minister, Jens Spahn, of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
According to Banaszak, the recently unsealed investigation report is “devastating” revealing a minister who ignored warnings, bypassed rules and invested hundreds of millions of euros of taxpayer money in questionable mask deals. The report, which was initiated by Spahn’s successor, Karl Lauterbach, of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), but not published before the federal election, severely criticizes Spahn’s actions.
Banaszak emphasized the importance of transparency in times of crisis, stating that the current Health Minister, Nina Warken, of the CDU, should publish the report. “Just in a crisis, trust must be built through transparency” he said. “Here, the impression is created that political success was more important than the common good.” The Green Party leader demanded a “consequential and gapless” investigation, calling on the Bundestag to know what happened to public funds and who profited from them. “Anything else will irreparably damage trust in state crisis management” he concluded.