The Bundestag has lifted the immunity of Brandenburg AfD MP Hannes Gnauck. The reason for this is a disciplinary complaint from his time in the Bundeswehr. Gnauck is also federal chairman of Junge Alternative.
After AfD MP Petr Bystron, his parliamentary group colleague Hannes Gnauck has also had his immunity revoked in the Bundestag. On Thursday evening, Parliament voted against the AfD’s votes for a corresponding recommendation from the Immunity Committee. In doing so, they granted “authorization to carry out judicial disciplinary proceedings” against the chairman of Junge Alternative.
Initially nothing was known about the exact background to the Bundestag decision. According to ARD information, it is supposed to be about a disciplinary complaint from Gnauck’s time in the Bundeswehr. Gnauck himself, who was a temporary soldier in the Bundeswehr from 2014 to 2021, only spoke in a written statement about a procedure “that has now been suspended for three years due to my Bundestag mandate,” and added: “Since my employment relationship is suspended anyway, the The reasons for my immunity being lifted are incomprehensible and extremely questionable.”
Gnauck explained in the evening that he had offered Bundestag President Bärbel Bas weeks ago to lift his immunity in order to clear up allegations. Bas let him know at the time that this step was not necessary. Now, shortly before the EU elections, his immunity will be lifted “for no apparent reason” in order to enable investigations into proceedings that have been dormant for three years. “The false portrayal of opposition politicians as corrupt or criminal is obviously intended to worsen the results of the AfD,” explained the politician. He has nothing to blame himself for and is waiting for the results of the investigation.
Gnauck represents the AfD in the parliamentary defense committee. Politicians from other parties had already sharply criticized this after it became known that the Bundeswehr’s Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) had classified him as an “extremist”. At that time, the MAD “suggested that he should leave the Junge Alternative” because it was being observed as a suspected case by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, he told the “Märkische Oderzeitung” in August 2021. Since April 2023, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the AfD youth organization as definitely right-wing extremist.
Gnauck’s party colleague Bystron is being investigated on initial suspicion of bribery and money laundering. Therefore, his immunity was lifted and his parliamentary office was searched.