BERLIN, April 22 (Reuters) – Germany’s domestic spy agency urged Berlin on Monday to give it more powers to monitor financial flows amid growing concerns over potential Russian financing of regional far-right parties ahead of European parliamentary elections.
While Germany’s interior ministry said in February it was working on adapting existing legislation to this effect, the issue has gained fresh urgency following a report that a lawmaker for the far-right Alternative for Germany party had received money from a pro-Russian news portal.
“I would hope to have more authority” to monitor financial developments, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency Thomas Haldenwang told a news conference.
“This would affect all areas (of security) because the efficacy of protagonists’ actions depends of course also on how much funds they have, but we are especially interested in the financial streams in the right-wing extremist scene.”
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Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-spy-agency-seeks-more-powers-amid-russias-suspected-financing-far-right-2024-04-22/
