Half of the penalties are predominantly issued towards the AfD party

Majority of Penalty Payments Made by the AfD Party

In the past few years, several political parties in Germany have faced fines for violations of the Party Law. According to an overview from the Bundestag administration, a total of around 1.8 million euros has been paid in fines by the parties represented in the Bundestag since 2017.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been particularly affected, paying around 1.1 million euros in fines for violations. The AfD's federal treasurer, Carsten Hütter, has stated that a lack of experience with donations in the party's early years was a contributing factor to these violations.

One of the main issues for the AfD was inadmissible contributions from the Swiss company, Swiss Goal AG, for election advertising in the 2016 Baden-Württemberg and 2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state elections. The party has appealed against a decision regarding a claim of over 108,000 euros related to these violations.

However, the AfD has since taken steps to rectify the situation. They now strictly check every donation, with a six-eye principle and intensive training for branches.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has also paid significant fines, around 200,000 euros, for Party Law violations. CDU politician Bosbach's lawyer admitted money acceptance in relation to these violations.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) paid around 2,300 euros in fines for Party Law violations, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) paid around 140,000 euros. The Left party paid around 92,000 euros, and the Greens paid around 134,000 euros. The CSU paid 79,300 euros in fines.

No new information about unpaid donations or appealed fines related to the AfD has been reported. There has also been no mention of a blanket dismissal of AfD members by a civil servant with party book Dobrindt.

The Bundestag administration's overview of Party Law violations and fines is available to several media outlets, providing transparency and accountability for the political parties in Germany.