AfD about money from Russia: AfD leadership supports European candidate Bystron despite serious allegations

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AfD leaders Chrupalla, Weidel: “Statement against statement”

Photo: Filip Singer / EPA

The AfD federal executive committee spends ten minutes discussing formalities, then the European candidate Petr Bystron joins the meeting by telephone. Party leader Alice Weidel opens. She wants to know: Has Bystron accepted money in any form – for example from sources related to the “Voice of Europe” website? This is what several participants in the meeting reported to SPIEGEL.

Reason for questioning your own colleague: The Czech government uncovered an influence operation by Russia almost two weeks ago. Kremlin propaganda was spread via the “Voice of Europe” website. According to the Czech Security Information Service (BIS), the medium is said to have served to covertly finance candidates for the European elections.

Accept money in cash or via cryptocurrency?

Specifically, Bystron, who is in second place on the AfD list, was suspected of having received money in cash in Prague or via cryptocurrency. The Czech newspaper “Denik N” reported that there were audio recordings that could support this accusation. Both the Bundestag administration and the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office are dealing with the allegations.

Bystron denied the media reports on this in the past few days - but in different and strange formulations that left questions unanswered, including in his written statement to the Federal Executive Board last week.

Now, at the meeting on Monday morning, he is said to have flatly denied having accepted money "from that direction." He “never” did this. When asked by a federal executive board member whether there had been donations from mandates to him or his district association, he replied in the negative and his family had not received anything either. This is what participants report.

“Objective” mood

The Federal Executive Board questioned Bystron for almost 20 minutes. The mood was “factual,” says Bystron himself, while other participants used the word “neutral.” In the afternoon, the federal executive board wants to make a public statement and send a written statement.

According to SPIEGEL information, the federal executive board asked Bystron to record his oral statements in writing. In addition, the Federal Executive Board supports Bystron's demand that the Czech BIS release the audio recording or the corresponding listening protocols.

Bystron should get away with this within the AfD at first. After all, a BIS spokesman had already said that audio recordings would not be released. Not everyone on the board is happy with this; several members consider Bystron's behavior and statements over the past two weeks to be less than credible. However, you currently see no alternatives.

No sanctions for Bystron

In advance of the meeting, some members of the Federal Executive Board discussed what sanction options there might be. But they only came to the conclusion that little could be done apart from banning election campaign appearances. The party agreed that the list for the European elections could not be changed again. However, if the suspicion against Bystron is confirmed, it is said that there will be immediate expulsion proceedings from the party.

On Sunday, party leader Tino Chrupalla had already backed Bystron. In the "Report from Berlin" he says that he sees no reason for sanctions for the time being, that it is "statement against statement." Bystron has clearly distanced itself, "that's why I trust and trust Petr Bystron's statement," says Chrupalla.

Party colleagues trust Bystron to do so

But not everyone within the party sees it that way. In a closed Facebook group, an AfD member of the state parliament, for example, answered the question of whether Bystron could be expected to do all of this with "Unfortunately yes." The Hessian state chairman and parliamentary group leader Robert Lambrou clicked “Like”.

After the federal board meeting, Bystron seemed relieved. When asked by SPIEGEL, he said he "didn't expect anything else" other than that the federal executive board would support him. "We will not allow our election campaign to be dictated by manipulative accusations from foreign secret services."

He then calls on the Czech government to explain "whether the publication was due to pressure from abroad" and what role NATO and the German government played in it. Bystron is now apparently building a new conspiracy narrative from the allegations against him.