DThe Berlin public prosecutor’s office does not want to investigate against Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Patrick Graichen, who is accused of nepotism. “Various criminal charges have been filed against State Secretary Patrick Graichen,” a spokesman for the Berlin Attorney General’s Office told Welt am Sonntag, according to a preliminary report on Saturday. “However, neither the ads nor the press reports gave rise to an initial suspicion of a criminal offence. The proceedings have therefore been discontinued without the commencement of investigations.”
Graichen is being criticized because he was involved in filling the top post at the federal German Energy Agency (Dena). The job was awarded to former Berlin Greens politician Michael Schäfer. This was Graichen’s best man, which the Secretary of State had not initially announced.
Both Graichen and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) described the process as a mistake. After the private connection between Schäfer and Graichen became known, the Supervisory Board of Dena decided to re-advertise the filling of the post.
The parliamentary state secretary in the Ministry of Economics, Michael Kellner (Greens), is married to Graichen’s sister. He also told the newspapers of the Bayern media group on Saturday: “Yes, mistakes were made when filling the chair of the Dena management board, no question.”
However, differentiation must be made, said Kellner. “Mixing everything up and harming people personally is not possible and I refuse to do that.”
Kellner referred in particular to criticism that his wife is a member of the hydrogen council. “My wife was appointed to the Hydrogen Council by Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU), so that has nothing to do with the current house management,” emphasized the State Secretary. She was appointed because she is knowledgeable in the field.
