The headquarters of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) were officially registered in Berlin this week on the orders of the public prosecutor, as part of an ongoing examination into alleged improper financing. The AfD itself confirmed the move, noting that Berlin’s Public Prosecutor’s Office registered its federal headquarters without prior notification to the party about items needing clarification.
The registration is part of a continuing investigation, reported by regional broadcasters NDR and WDR. Authorities are examining potential violations of party finance law, with suspicions that the AfD falsified figures in accounting reports submitted to the Bundestag in the years 2015 and 2018.
Media reports indicate that the search focused on documents related to the preparation of those accounting reports and to campaign financing for the 2017 parliamentary elections, in which the AfD gained representation in the Bundestag for the first time.
Investigators also sought access to emails from the party’s former treasurer and former co-chair, Jörg Meuthen. Meuthen’s immunity as a member of the European Parliament was lifted during the investigations, and he left the party earlier this year as tensions with more extreme factions rose.
Co-chairs Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel asserted that if the prosecution had asked for documents, the party would have provided them. They described the ongoing searches as an intimidation tactic aimed at the AfD.
The investigations that culminated in today’s actions began in 2019, prompted by revelations that Weidel, then caucus chair, made an irregular donation of 130,000 euros from Switzerland.
Further disclosures followed about other suspected instances in which the AfD allegedly accepted donations to fund its electoral activities from foreign foundations and companies with questionable credentials, which were not fully reflected in its accounting records.
In July, the Bundestag demanded that the AfD pay a fine of 150,000 euros for an irregular donation in Weidel’s region, and the prior legislature had called for a sanction of 400,000 euros for other related irregularities.
Meuthen, positioned as a representative of the party’s more moderate wing, left the AfD in February this year as disputes with the more extreme factions intensified, and amid concerns about irregular financing practices.
The case has drawn attention to ongoing debates within German politics about transparency in party funding and the mechanisms by which political groups report their finances to state authorities and parliamentary bodies. Observers say these inquiries test the boundaries between legitimate fundraising and improper financial conduct, as well as the methods used to track international donations and their influence on domestic campaigns.
Analysts note that while the AfD has established itself as a prominent force in German politics, the financing scrutiny underscores the broader challenges in ensuring that party resources are disclosed openly and in compliance with legal requirements. The situation illustrates how financial governance and public accountability continue to shape the trajectory of political parties in Germany and beyond. Observers also emphasize the significance of safeguarding the integrity of parliamentary processes and the importance of rigorous oversight in both national and transnational contexts. (Source: Reuters; corroborated by public broadcaster reports and parliamentary records).