AfD-Linked Foundation Accuses Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of Judicial Misconduct

The Desiderius-Erasmus Foundation has escalated its dispute with the German Interior Ministry, filing a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt over state funding that it says has not been granted.

Foundation chairwoman Erika Steinbach said the complaint was filed in Berlin on Wednesday. She accused Dobrindt’s ministry of dragging out its review of the foundation’s funding application, submitted in March 2025. She described the delay as “not only pure harassment” but also “an attack against the constitutionally required equal opportunities, including for the AfD close to us.”

The foundation also filed an individual complaint against Germany with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg the previous week. It says unused funding expires at the end of the year and cannot be carried forward. The amount at stake this year is 25.5 million euros.

The AfD and its affiliated foundation have sought state funding for years. Although the AfD has held seats in the Bundestag since 2017, its foundation has not received public support, unlike foundations linked to the other parliamentary parties.

A 2023 ruling by Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court required lawmakers to establish a legal framework for financing political foundations. Under the new law, a foundation may receive state grants if its associated party has entered the Bundestag at least three times with parliamentary-group strength and the foundation supports the free democratic basic order and international understanding. The AfD entered the Bundestag for the third time in the February 2025 election. Steinbach said she believes her foundation meets the remaining requirements. Judicial misconduct under Section 339 of Germany’s Criminal Code carries a possible prison sentence of one to five years.

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Not only pure harassment, but also an attack against the constitutionally required equal opportunities, including for the AfD close to us.