AfD-affiliated foundation files criminal complaint against Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt for perverting the course of justice

The AfD-affiliated Desiderius Erasmus Foundation has reported Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) for perverting the law in the dispute over funding that has not yet been granted. The criminal complaint was filed in Berlin on Wednesday, said foundation chairwoman Erika Steinbach on Thursday in Berlin.

Accordingly, the foundation accuses Dobrindt's ministry of delaying the examination of the funding application since it was submitted in March 2025. This is “not just pure harassment”, but also “an attack against the constitutionally required equal opportunities of the AfD, which is close to us,” said Steinbach.

The Desiderius Erasmus Foundation and the AfD have been trying to sue for funding for the foundation for years. For the current year it is about 25.5 million euros. The foundation points out that any unused funds from this funding expired at the end of the year. A transfer to the following year is not possible.

The AfD has been represented in the Bundestag since 2017. Unlike other political party foundations, however, it was refused funding. The parliamentary groups in the Bundestag will decide on this until 2023.

Following a lawsuit by the AfD, the Federal Constitutional Court demanded in February 2023 that funding for political foundations be placed on a legal basis for the first time. According to the law subsequently passed, a foundation can only receive grants if the party close to it has entered the Bundestag three times in parliamentary group size. In addition, the funding is linked to the commitment to the free, democratic basic order and international understanding.

According to its own statement, the foundation meets funding requirements

In the early federal elections in February 2025, the AfD entered parliament for the third time. Steinbach emphasized that she was convinced that her foundation also met the other funding requirements.

Perversion of justice under Section 339 of the Criminal Code is punishable by one to five years in prison. The regulation explicitly refers to judges, other officials – such as public prosecutors – or arbitrators. The question of whether the provision can also be used against a federal minister is likely to be disputed.