Austrian authorities are currently investigating a substantial donation made to Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to support its election campaign, as reported jointly by newspapers Spiegel and Standard.
The donation, the largest ever for the party at 2.35 million euros ($2.45 million), was received in early February, providing a significant boost to the AfD in the closing stages of the election campaign. Sunday's election is expected to result in the AfD securing a historic second place.
The donor, Gerhard Dingler, as listed in a German parliamentary payment registry, has ties to Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO), where he previously served as managing director in the state of Vorarlberg for 15 years before departing in 2016.
Media reports indicate that Austrian authorities are looking into potential money-laundering activities related to a 2.6 million euro payment made to Dingler before his donation to the AfD. This has raised suspicions that Dingler may have acted as a proxy for another donor.
The focus of the investigation is on how Dingler accounted for the payment preceding his donation, according to sources cited in Spiegel and Standard.
In response to the reports, Austria's BKA declined to comment on individuals specifically, while the DSN has yet to comment on the matter.
The AfD's treasurer, Carsten Huetter, pledged full transparency and cooperation with the authorities should an investigation take place, stating that Dingler had confirmed the donation was made from his personal funds.
Efforts to reach Dingler for comment have been unsuccessful, with both Der Standard and Reuters reporting difficulties in contacting him.
Should the donation be found to breach party donation regulations, the AfD could face a hefty fine of approximately 7 million euros under German law. Previously, in 2019, the Bundestag fined the party over 400,000 euros for similar violations.
(Note: The currency exchange rate at the time was $1 = 0.9590 euros)