Minister Warken justifies power outages in a exclusive review concerning the mask scandal
In a developing scandal known as the "mask affair," former German CDU Health Minister Jens Spahn faces accusations of mismanagement and financial misconduct during the procurement of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The allegations, made by special investigator Margaretha Sudhof, have been the subject of intense debate, particularly due to the redactions in the initial report that were later found to have concealed Spahn's personal involvement.
The unredacted version of the report, which surfaced later, exposed Spahn's alleged role in ordering expensive masks, disregarding warnings from his specialized departments, and ignoring risks. These actions are said to have resulted in a significant loss for taxpayers, amounting to billions of euros [1][4].
The redactions, initially made by the Federal Ministry of Health and defended by current Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU), were criticised by political figures such as Janosch Dahmen (Green party) who accused CDU members, including Spahn and Warken, of manipulating the report's transparency to conceal their culpability [1][4].
Warken defended the redactions, stating that they followed clear guidelines and that she had the obligation to redact information that cannot be disclosed [3]. However, the redacted passages from the Sudhof report have become known through investigations by various media outlets [2].
The allegations against Spahn include causing losses through high-priced protective mask procurement and awarding of contracts, as well as promoting overpriced purchases, favoring those close to him, and ignoring needs assessments [4].
As the investigation continues, Sudhof is scheduled to be questioned in the Bundestag's budget committee on Tuesday and in the health committee on Thursday [5]. Spahn, however, has denied all allegations made against him in the Sudhof report [3].
This scandal is part of wider investigations into corruption related to mask procurement in Germany during the pandemic, shedding light on the controversial role of Jens Spahn and the political attempts to shield him from full scrutiny [1][3][4].
References: [1] Spiegel Online (2022). Mask Affair: Jens Spahn accused of causing multi-billion-euro loss. Retrieved from https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/maskenaffaire-jens-spahn-verdacht-von-milliardenverlust-a-695633a6f0e7417b87d5c786 [2] Die Welt (2022). Redacted passages from the Sudhof report on the mask affair revealed. Retrieved from https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus31917312/Maskenaffaire-Sudhof-Bericht-geheimgehaltene-Passagen-offenbaren.html [3] Tagesschau (2022). Warken defends redactions in Sudhof report on mask affair. Retrieved from https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/warken-sudhof-maskenaffaire-101.html [4] Süddeutsche Zeitung (2022). The mask affair: Spahn accused of causing billions in losses. Retrieved from https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/maskenaffaire-jens-spahn-verdacht-von-milliardenverlust-1.5823555 [5] Der Spiegel (2022). Sudhof to be questioned in Bundestag committees over mask affair. Retrieved from https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/maskenaffaire-sudhof-vor-bundestagsausschussen-a-69796986.html
- Despite repeated allegations of mismanagement and financial misconduct in the procurement of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, former German CDU Health Minister Jens Spahn continues to deny any wrongdoing.
- The unredacted version of the report, known as the "Sudhof report," has revealed that Spahn allegedly ordered expensive masks, disregarded warnings from his specialized departments, and ignored risks, leading to significant losses for taxpayers.
- As the investigation into the "mask affair" continues, it has shed light on the controversial role of Jens Spahn and political attempts to shield him from full scrutiny, with political figures accusing CDU members of manipulating the report's transparency to conceal their culpability.
