The committee overseeing the lottery begins interrogating witnesses.
The investigative committee in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament has commenced interrogating the first witnesses surrounding the business operations of the local Lotto Toto GmbH. Allegations of favoritism towards Lotto chief Maren Sieb have been brought up by the AfD parliamentary faction. What developments can be foreseen in this case?
Investigations at an early stage
The case involving the accusations against Lotto boss Maren Sieb is stepping up a gear: as the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been urging for weeks, a committee in the state parliament is now undertaking the investigation and has started with initial interviews concerning the lottery provider's business dealings. The first round of questioning took place on Friday (15.11.) and lasted multiple hours.
Several employees from the administration and sales departments in the lottery company were questioned. The objective was to review various business transactions within the organization. At this point in time, the focus was solely on questions related to internal operations and procedures. The chairman, Andreas Steppuhn (SPD), stated that the proceedings are still in their initial stages. More details regarding the interviewees' statements have yet to be disclosed.
Money laundering expert to be consulted
Reports in the SZ indicate that a money laundering expert will be consulted at the next meeting. This expert is Peter Ostermann, who has previously worked as a money laundering officer at Sparkasse, among other places. By then, additional documents from any ministries and authorities should also become available for review. The next meeting of the committee will occur in mid-December.
The Committee of Inquiry also decided to consider the investigations being conducted by the public prosecutor's office in their work. The standing of this decision is due to a complaint filed by the AfD against lottery boss Maren Sieb. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Justice states that the investigation has been temporarily discontinued.
Sieb under attack from the AfD
As previously stated, the committee of inquiry was established at the behest of AfD MPs. They first leveled accusations of embezzlement against Maren Sieb towards the middle of June and filed a criminal complaint against the lottery chief at the Magdeburg Administrative Court. The allegations relate to a potentially faulty transaction between Sieb, Lotto Saxony-Anhalt, and a marketing agency.
According to former AfD parliamentary group leader André Poggenburg and state parliament member Jan Wenzel Schmidt, Sieb provided Lotto funding in exchange for advertising contracts on several occasions between 2012 and 2018. Some of the issues mentioned include "discrepancies" and "unlawful preferential treatment." AfD chairman Robert Farle also noted that there are "indications that suggest shady connections." Possible offenses include fraud, embezzlement, and corruption.
Advertising agency "ISA i motion" in the spotlight
The allegations against Sieb are serious: the AfD claims that she provided lottery funding to numerous associations and charitable organizations for years, which in turn contracted with the marketing agency "ISA i motion." What's alarming is that the firm was established by Sieb herself and has been run by her partner since 2012.
Even if these were only smaller advertising materials like brochures, flyers, and images, the AfD claims that the evidence involved "has an air of misconduct and points to suspicious relations between politics, associations, and certain favored individuals." Additionally, it's being questioned whether the Saxony-Anhalt lottery is truly doing enough to safeguard players or if the lack of control mechanisms allows for money laundering to occur through lottery branches.
Numerous well-known associations, initiatives, and charitable organizations are impacted by the massive allegations, including the German Red Cross, the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband, the Stendaler Tafel, and the advocacy group "Volkssolidarität." The AfD claims that private connections to lottery boss Maren Sieb can be proven for each of the mentioned organizations.
Accusations are "mere bs"?
The accusations were denied from the outset by Maren Sieb. The lottery chief argued that her influence on the selection of donations was minimal. All Lotto funding must be approved by a political vote, and for donations totaling more than 15,000 euros, the approval of a 14-member consultation board is also necessary.
Concerning her connections to the advertising agency implicated, Sieg also asserted that the associated organizations have been customers of ISA i motion prior to her becoming part of the lottery company. ISA i motion has always specialized in public relations work. Allegations of nepotism are thus baseless.
Sieb is receiving support from Saxony-Anhalt's Transport Minister and Lotto Supervisory Board Chairman Thomas Webel (CDU), among others. According to the politician, she provided "compelling and transparent" explanations for all the details.
Webel highlighted that the lottery in Saxony-Anhalt brings in approximately 200 million euros annually. It's well-known that much of the earnings are allocated towards noble causes. It's yet to be determined how the upcoming findings from the investigation committee might affect the lottery company's spotless reputation.
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Source: www.onlinecasinosdeutschland.com
