Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office started probing the activities of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen amid controversy caused by constant involvement of external and freelance consultants to the work in the ministry, local media reported Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office started probing the activities of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen amid controversy caused by constant involvement of external and freelance consultants to the work in the ministry, local media reported Thursday.
The investigation was initiated after a ministry employee on September 30 filed a complaint against the minister, saying that external advisers were actually working on a full-time basis for a long period of time, the Spiegel magazine reported, citing sources.
The complainant also noted that a whole "army" of freelance advisers worked in the ministry. Thus, a fictitious self-employment could have taken place, as the employer is not required to provide social security to such employees.
If the investigation proves that it was done intentionally, the employer will be prosecuted, the publication said.
According to the media outlet, the German Federal Audit Office also conducted an audit in connection with the involvement of consultants.
The confidential report of the department, among other things, noted that the Defense Ministry was directly dependent on external consultants in some areas, such as IT modernization. A separate report noted that contracts with consultants had often been concluded without a tender, and they had not been checked for economic efficiency.
The minister will have to explain the situation to the budget commission. According to the publication, after the Federal Audit Office's check, von der Leyen attracted several investigative teams to examine all the contracts with consultants that had been signed since she took the office.
