Leaked Emails Suggest AfD Co-Leader May Have Known About Illegal Swiss Donation
A data breach exposing thousands of emails indicates that AfD co-chair Alice Weidel may have been aware of an illegal Swiss campaign contribution, contrary to her earlier denials.
A recent hack released more than 3,000 emails belonging to AfD co-chair Alice Weidel, revealing that she asked her district treasurer to monitor a campaign account for incoming contributions in the summer of 2017. In those messages she referenced using the funds for her social-media election effort, suggesting prior knowledge of a Swiss-sourced donation. Weidel had previously insisted she only discovered the illegal contribution in September 2017.
The leaked correspondence, verified by multiple media outlets with OCCRP assistance, points to the money coming from real-estate magnate Henning Conle, who resides in Zurich, and being transferred via two Swiss pharmaceutical companies. The party later returned most of the money and faced a fine for accepting the prohibited donation. The new evidence raises questions about whether Weidel misled both the AfD and the public about her involvement.
Why it matters
The revelations could affect public trust in the AfD and prompt further scrutiny of political financing rules.
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