Far-right AfD hit by donation scandal ahead of Germany’s elections

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is embroiled in a donation scandal just days before this Sunday's parliamentary elections.

According to an investigation by the German news magazine Spiegel in collaboration with the Austrian daily Der Standard, the scandal involves an advertising campaign for the AfD valued at around $2.46 million (€2.35 million).

The report indicates that Gerhard Dingler, a former member of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), acted as a frontman for the donation.

However, the investigation suggests that the true source of the money was Henning Conle, a German-Swiss real estate billionaire from Duisburg, Germany.

Both Spiegel and Der Standard report that Austrian authorities have traced a €2.6 million payment to Dingler before he allegedly made a donation to the AfD.

When Dingler was questioned by his bank about the purpose of the funds, he claimed they were intended for a real estate project. However, shortly afterwards, €2.3 million was transferred from his account to a billboard advertising company in Cologne.

Possibility of money laundering

The two outlets also report that the AfD officially declared this exact amount as a donation to the German parliament's administration in early February.

Austrian authorities are now investigating the possibility of money laundering, with the German Federal Criminal Police Office and the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence (DSN) also reportedly involved in the case.

The public prosecutor's office in Feldkirch, Austria, has confirmed that it received a complaint regarding the potential money laundering scheme.

Under the German Political Parties Act, "straw man" donations, where the actual donor's identity is concealed, are illegal. If the allegations are proven true, the AfD could face a fine of up to three times the amount of the illegal donation.

In an article published on Wednesday, Spiegel quoted an unnamed spokesperson for the AfD's lead candidate Alice Weidel as saying that the party had not been informed that Dingler was acting as a frontman.

When asked, Dingler had told the AfD that the campaign funds "came from his own assets" and that the payment "was not made on behalf of a third party," the spokesperson added.