Corruption investigations at NRW state office: millions of damage exposed!

Corruption investigations at NRW state office: millions of damage exposed!

On January 14, 2025, the North Rhine-Westphalian government center will be brought to the center of a large raid. Investigators of the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) have allegations of corruption in the renovation of the State Chancellery should. As part of this investigation, over 40 searches of searches were carried out, in which around 200 civil servants have been in use since Tuesday morning. It was a coordinated campaign in cities such as Düsseldorf, Neuss, Mönchengladbach, Erkrath and Münster.

The corruption investigation is based on a notification of a witness and valid exams of the inner revision of the Construction and property operation (Blb NRW) came. A central aspect of the allegations includes illegal agreements in the event of tenders, bribery, bribery and fraud in the course of the renovation of the lighting in the state chancellery, which has been going on for eight years.

searches and suspects

A total of 57 properties were searched, with employees of the BLB and an architecture firm focus on the investigation. The accused is accused of influencing order spending and excessive supplementary invoices. A spokeswoman for the State Chancellery emphasized that the allegations have to be enlightened without gaps. The Wuppertal public prosecutor's office was significantly involved in the coordination of these searches and has so far had no arrest warrants or arrests; Seven main suspects, including five men and two women between the ages of 36 and 69, are currently on foot.

The State Chancellery itself was not searched and employees are not among the suspects, which maintains hope for a quick and complete clarification of the allegations. Nevertheless, the opposition and in particular the SPD and FDP have asked the government to disclose all relevant information and to provide transparent information about the processes.

background and criticism

The renovation of the State Chancellery had previously been criticized by cost increases and delays during the construction period. In 2022 it was announced that the costs have increased by 13.5 million euros to a total of around 55 million euros. This has raised questions about the economy of the project, which are reinforced by the current allegations of corruption.

In addition, the BLB's ex-boss has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for bribery, a judgment that illustrates the scope of the current investigations. The developments related to the renovation of the State Chancellery thus throw a shadow light on the administration and its influence on public orders in North Rhine-Westphalia.