Investigations against Bystrons discontinued.

Move to the European Parliament – investigations against Bystrons suspended

Investigators investigating the financial scandal and bribery allegations against AfD MP Petr Bystron, who is both a member of the Bundestag and an EU parliamentarian, have had to take a forced break, the German Press Agency reported. As a benefit of his new role as an EU parliamentarian, Bystron, who ran for a place on his party’s second list, enjoys immunity from prosecution.

As soon as the Federal Returning Officer announces the official result of the European elections in Germany, the investigations by the investigative authorities in the case must be discontinued. However, if Bystron’s immunity in the European Parliament is lifted, the prosecution of the case could be resumed. However, it could still take some time before a decision is made. The “Spiegel” and ZDF have already announced that they will discontinue the investigations.

An unnamed representative of the Munich Attorney General’s Office did not want to comment on the specific case on Wednesday. Attorney General Reinhard Röttle, however, made a general statement: “There is no place for political corruption in Bavaria. The Munich Attorney General’s Office will consistently pursue any suspicion of bribery of a member of parliament within the framework of immunity.”

Bystron is said to have accepted payments in connection with the pro-Russian website “Voice of Europe” in order to promote Russian interests in parliament. In May, the Bundestag lifted Bystron’s immunity in the Munich-North constituency. As part of the investigation, the police searched his office in Berlin and other locations. At the time, Bystron denied the allegations and believed the proceedings to be politically motivated. He assumes that the proceedings will be dropped “when the election is over”. He is considered innocent during the trial.

Due to these allegations, Bystron’s party colleagues, led by the AfD, had called on him to refrain from participating in the European election campaign. Bystron had initially explained his withdrawal as being for family reasons. A few days before the election, he had appeared at an AfD event in Nuremberg.

As a member of the upcoming AfD delegation in the European Parliament, Bystron will remain with the party. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said on Monday that Bystron had made an affidavit at a meeting of the new EU parliamentarians about his non-receipt of money and that “all statements were false”. Some, including parliamentarians, had called for such a declaration and it was imperative.

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