How politicians, regulators, and the media fell for an obvious financial fraud
Illustration by Larissa Hoff
German scandals are not like other
scandals. The bouquet of a classic German scandal contains unmistakable notes:
a rabbit-hole impenetrability, the implication of an entire guilt-ridden
society, and, most importantly, a sense that the controversy says something essential about Germany as a whole. German scandals are
collectivized. They are about a belief in German difference, for good or ill.
The rise and fall of the financial
services giant Wirecard is such a scandal. Wirecard, whose products facilitated
e-commerce payment transactions, was the rare German startup that seemed primed
German mask scandal: Bavaria issues arrest warrant | News | DW dw.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dw.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Follow RT on Germany’s face mask procurement scandal claimed another victim on Thursday, as a third MP quit the government over dramatic revelations threatening to derail Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party ahead of Sunday’s regional elections.
Conservative lawmaker Mark Hauptmann, from the eastern state of Thuringia, announced he was stepping down due to his alleged role in a cash-for-access arrangement with Azerbaijan.
The Christian Democrats (CDU) MP became the third lawmaker within a week to quit Merkel’s parliamentary group over controversies around face mask procurement.
His fellow CDU representative Nikolas Loebel announced on Sunday that he was leaving politics for good after allegedly receiving €250,000 ($298,000) for setting up a deal between a Chinese supplier and the German cities of Heidelberg and Mannheim.
German mask scandal rocks Merkel s party as elections loom washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.