Overview
- The Amtsgericht Magdeburg, ruling Monday, ordered the seizure of many items and files taken in July from the CDU group’s offices, saying they may serve as evidence.
- Prosecutors cannot enforce the seizure until Landtag President Gunnar Schellenberger approves it, which would allow them to review the secured data.
- The court instructed authorities to return or delete files that clearly do not relate to the investigation.
- An earlier Landgericht decision found the searches unlawful because investigators did not first ask the Landtag for documents, yet the new order says that error does not bar seizure given the public interest in prosecution.
- The ongoing probe centers on suspected improper function allowances dating to April 2020 involving two former CDU group leaders and two former group managers, with decisions on material taken from SPD and AfD offices still pending.