The ministry officially provides services to homosexual migrants, but the audit office suspects corruption. The opposition has called for dismissals.

A huge corruption scandal is about to erupt in the German state of Saxony. The State Audit Office has made serious accusations against Saxony’s ministry of social affairs, including making payments to cover sauna costs for gay asylum seekers. Sebastian Vogel, state secretary under SPD Social Affairs Minister Petra Kopping, is suspected of corruption and possible nepotism, the German daily Bild writes.

The ministry officially paid for parties and sauna visits for migrants who hold a so-called refugee card specifically issued to homosexual asylum seekers. A normal ticket to the Paradise sauna in Dresden costs 20 euros.

However, the auditors from the audit office have raised doubts about the integrative effect of the above-mentioned services, costing hundreds of thousands of euros, and suspect money laundering in the background. In connection with the paid sauna visits, the audit office also sees „structures at risk of corruption” at Ms Kopping’s ministry. The subsidies flowed to a total of 20 recipients, largely in an uncontrolled manner, with many obscure details surrounding the allocation of funds, the auditors point out.

It is an interesting coincidence that State Secretary Vogel’s partner is the managing director of the „Network for Democracy and Courage in Saxony”, and the association received funding from the Ministry. Thus, Vogel decided directly on the funding paid to his partner’s association in violation of the so-called „ban on participation”, which casts strong suspicion on the state secretary.

This is not the only example of suspicios financial circumstances. The CSD Dresden e.V., the organiser of the local Christopher Street Day parade, reportedly received around 460 thousand euros between 2017 and 2019 for a project that aimed to „support queer refugees in everyday professional and social life”. However, due to a lack of specific content, it is unclear what costs were covered from the funding, the auditors say.

Not only in Berlin, but also in Saxony there are clan structures in the government. However, the extent is even more striking than we previously assumed,

said Jorg Urban, parliamentary group leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony, calling on Social Affairs Minister Kopping to sack Vogel and pressing for legal action.

Even federal government coalition partners are at odds with each other.

SPD-led ministries are increasingly becoming problematic ministries. With such partners, there is little need for enemies,

liberals say.