AfD donation affair: AfD appeals against withheld party donation

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is pursuing an appeal in a legal dispute over a contested party donation, seeking the repayment of a sum that was withheld by the Bundestag administration. The case will now proceed to the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg.

In May, the Administrative Court ruled that the Bundestag administration was not obligated to transfer the donation, amounting to over 2.3 million euros, to the AfD. The court's decision was based on the assessment that the contribution constituted an impermissible donation to the party.

“

There was no clarity about the donor at the time the AfD accepted the donation.

Court President Erna Viktoria Xalter stated during the ruling that there was no clarity about the donor when the AfD accepted the funds. The legal proceedings focused on campaign posters from early 2025, where the AfD presented itself as a "bourgeois alternative" to other political parties. The AfD claimed the campaign was financed by Austrian Gerhard Dingler, who reportedly confirmed this.

However, the court found indications that German-Swiss entrepreneur Henning Conle might be behind the donation. Evidence suggests Conle transferred 2.6 million euros to Dingler as a "gift" shortly before the AfD received its donation. In accordance with the law, parties must immediately transfer inadmissible donations to the Bundestag to avoid sanctions. The AfD proactively transferred the disputed funds last year after the Bundestag administration raised concerns, filing a lawsuit to reclaim the money.

“

so that we would not have to pay double or triple penalties if facts emerged that were unfavorable to us.