Funding committee: associations fear data protection deficiencies

Several refugee aid associations fear that members of the parliamentary committee of inquiry into funding practices at the Ministry of Social Affairs will pass on personal data. In a statement, the victims' organization RAA Sachsen, the Saxon Refugee Council and the Kulturbüro Sachsen announced that the committee had received extensive documents on funding procedures containing data on more than 1,000 people. They feared that these people were in concrete danger, as data "could reach right-wing networks via the AfD". The AfD rejected this.

Doubts about the confidentiality of committee members

RAA Managing Director Andrea Hübler expressed doubts about the confidentiality of the AfD. "Even if the AfD members of the committee of inquiry are sworn to secrecy, it would not be the first time that things have been leaked. Intimidation and attacks on civil society actors who stand up for democracy, refugees and a diverse society are not uncommon in Saxony." The right-wing scene has been collecting personal data for so-called enemy lists for years.

The organizations criticized the "lack of sensitivity of Saxon authorities to existing threats". The personal data in the documents should be blacked out and is not relevant to the investigating committee's interest in clarification. They also wanted information about the scope of the data passed on.

Hannah Franke, board member of the Refugee Council, said: "We find it more than difficult that we have not yet been informed about the extent to which documents have been passed on."

AfD rejects speculations

The AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament rejected fears. "In this investigation, the protection of personal data is of course guaranteed at all times," parliamentary group spokesperson Felix Menzel told the German Press Agency: "The committee of inquiry into the SPD funding swamp is urgently needed to completely clear up the unlawful allocation of taxpayers' money to the Saxon asylum industry."

Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) had unfortunately not succeeded in creating complete transparency and providing detailed information about the influence exerted by the top management of her ministry.

Court of Auditors had reprimanded funding practices

The investigative committee was set up in February at the instigation of the AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament. The committee is looking into the allocation of funding to refugee aid associations and initiatives in the years 2016 to 2019. The State Court of Auditors of the Free State of Bavaria had already attested to unlawful administrative action to an "extraordinary extent" when presenting a special report in 2023. Among other things, it saw "conflicts of interest" and "concerns of bias". The auditors did not find any evidence of personal misconduct on Köpping's part.