Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wants to leave the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft. Schröder, who is the head of the Rosneft supervisory board, said it was impossible for him to extend his mandate on the board, the group said on Friday. Details were not given.

It had previously become known that Schröder was having the decision by the Bundestag Budget Committee to abolish his former chancellor privileges legally reviewed. The lawyer Michael Nagel confirmed a corresponding report by the “Spiegel” on Friday in Hanover.

“I ask for your understanding that further questions will not be answered at this point in time,” said the lawyer of the German Press Agency. Nagel had defended Christian Wulff in the process of taking advantage, the ex-Federal President was acquitted in early 2014.

On Thursday, the budget committee in Berlin voted to close the former chancellor’s office. The approval of a corresponding application by the traffic light coalition is the culmination of the ostracism of the former SPD leader because of his ongoing ties to Russia.

For legal reasons, however, Schröder’s relations with Russia and Putin were not used to justify the deletion of the office. Rather, according to the traffic light application, financial support will depend on whether former top politicians actually still take on tasks. It was said that Schröder no longer accepted any obligations from his time as Chancellor.