The AfD failed with a lawsuit against a fine imposed in the donation affair around Bundestag parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel.
The Berlin administrative court dismissed the party on Wednesday after an oral hearing.
At the end of 2020, the Bundestag imposed a fine of 396,000 euros on the AfD after two companies based in Switzerland had transferred a total of around 132,000 euros to Weidel's Baden-Württemberg district association in 2017.
Parliament interpreted this as a prohibited acceptance of anonymous donations.
The AfD argued that the payments were a direct donation to the then district chairwoman Weidel and not a party donation. The court saw this differently: It was a donation within the meaning of the Political Parties Act and not a direct donation. The decisive factor is that the money was received on the party account and remained within the party's area of disposal and that the bills were also paid with it.
The AfD also stated that the donations had been repaid to the companies in 2018. The Bundestag administration argued that the period between the grant and repayment was too long. The court also found that the AfD did not return the donations immediately, but only between seven and nine months after receipt of payment. The administrative court allowed the appeal against the judgment.