Wegner: Trust with Digital State Secretary "Permanently Destroyed"

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner has stated that the trust relationship with his recently appointed State Secretary for Digitalization, Matthias Hundt, has been "permanently destroyed," leading to Hundt's dismissal. Wegner, a member of the CDU, explained in the House of Representatives that the trust had been irrevocably damaged.

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The trust relationship is permanently disturbed, it was and is permanently destroyed.

Hundt, who was brought to Berlin from Dresden, had a brief tenure, serving only two and a half months after his appointment in mid-March. He initially requested to be dismissed but later withdrew his request, prompting the Senate to dismiss him last Tuesday. This dismissal entitles Hundt to approximately 50,700 euros in transitional payments, which he would not have received had he resigned voluntarily.

The dismissal follows revelations that the Dresden public prosecutor's office is investigating Hundt in connection with the insolvency of a company he was involved with. An insolvency proceeding was opened in November 2025 for Hundt's consulting firm, SDC Sachsen Digital Consulting GmbH. Hundt's lawyer maintains his client's innocence, stating that agreements have been reached with all parties affected by the insolvency, and the presumption of innocence applies.

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Unfortunately, these civil servant regulations apply.

Wegner is now under pressure from opposition parties who accuse him of failing to adequately vet Hundt's qualifications and professional background before appointing him to such a significant role. The Left Party's faction leader, Tobias Schulze, criticized Wegner, suggesting he appointed "a con artist and a charlatan" to the position. The Green Party leader, Werner Graf, described the situation as one that "should not have happened," while the AfD leader, Kristin Brinker, questioned the practice of appointing individuals to public office without scrutinizing their qualifications and career history.

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You have apparently entrusted such an important office to a con artist and a charlatan.

Florian Hauer has taken over Hundt's previous responsibilities in addition to his existing roles as the Berlin state representative to the federal government and State Secretary for Federal and European Affairs.

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It cannot be that someone is brought into public office without examining their qualifications and their life's work.