Amigo affair

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Amigo Affair is the slang term for a corruption and bribery scandal involving the Bavarian Prime Minister Max Streibl and other CSU politicians, which led to Streibl's resignation in 1993. The term (often just abbreviated as "Amigo") has been used since then, especially in connection with the CSU, as a synonym for affairs involving the amalgamation of politics and business (see also nepotism , Klüngel ). In the year 2013, which was family affair of spiegel.de as Amigo affair called because the new allegations directed against politicians of the CSU.

procedure

In January 1993 it became known that Streibl had received grants from industrial companies during his time as Bavarian Finance Minister (1977–1988) . Streibl was accused of campaigning for the German aircraft manufacturer Burkhart Grob Luft- und Raumfahrt GmbH & Co. KG for the order for the EloKa system LAPAS due to personal interests at the Federal Ministry of Defense . This is said to have happened in return for two private vacations in Brazil and Kenya, financed by his friend ( Spanish and Portuguese amigo ) in 1983, and as thanks for donations from his party . Before the state parliament , Streibl had to admit that he had spent two holidays in Brazil at Grob's expense. In addition, Streibl is said to have obtained or sneaked high funding for his school friend Grob from the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology and the State Institute for Development Finance.

Becoming known and withdrawing

After the allegations became known, politicians from the opposition in the state parliament and from their own ranks called for resignation. The SPD demanded a committee of inquiry , which was rejected by the ruling CSU on April 23. After a constitutional complaint by the SPD, the CSU set up a committee of inquiry in May with a list of questions that had been defused. In protest against this procedure, the SPD, Greens and FDP did not appoint any members.

Streibl rejected all allegations as a " dirty and smear campaign " and described his relationship with Grob as a purely private connection. In February 1993, at the traditional Political Ash Wednesday of the CSU in Passau , Streibl greeted his audience in the Nibelungenhalle with the words "Saludos Amigos!". In his speech, he asked the rhetorical question “To have friends, is that a disgrace here in the CSU?” His allusion to the amalgamation of politics and economics sparked great applause and a few whistles. His obvious attempt to ridicule the matter had a devastating public effect: his polls quickly fell below forty percent and attacks from the ranks of the CSU against him increased. Max Streibl finally resigned from his posts on May 27, 1993. His successor in the office of the Bavarian Prime Minister was Edmund Stoiber .

The Amigo affair was uncovered through research by journalists Michael Stiller , Christiane Schlötzer-Scotland , Hans Holzhaider , Klaus Ott ( Süddeutsche Zeitung ) and the Munich correspondent of the Augsburger Allgemeine , Fridolin Engelfried , through material that could only have come from insiders . The five journalists were awarded the Guardian Prize of the German daily press for their work (2nd prize, 1993).

literature

  • Andreas Kießling: The CSU. Preservation of power and renewal of power . VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-531-14380-8 .
  • Stately scope . In: Der Spiegel . No. 8 , 1993 ( online ).

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Amigo affair: Bavaria's Minister of Agriculture Brunner pays back 13,500 euros. spiegel.de, May 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Hauke ​​Janssen: Münchhausen-Check: The CSU and their Amigos. spiegel.de, May 8, 2013.