According to media reports, important data on the mobile phone of former Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), now President of the EU Commission, may have been destroyed for the investigation of the advisory affair of the German Ministry of Defense.
As ARD and „Welt“ reported, the deputy government official for the investigation of the affair, Markus Paulick, admitted yesterday in a confidential meeting of the committee of inquiry that the data on the cell phone had already been deleted by the Leyens in August.
Allegation of destruction of possible evidence
The cell phone was „security deleted“ by the manufacturer, and the data was allegedly irretrievably lost, Paulick was quoted by the ARD capital studio. According to “Welt”, the Bundestag had applied for the telephone to be classified as evidence before the deletion. The accusation of unauthorized destruction of files is now in the room.
Representatives of the opposition reacted indignantly, there was talk of „digital file shredding“ and „delaying tactics“ by the German government. The committee of inquiry is investigating the allegation that contracts worth millions were concluded in the German Ministry of Defense while circumventing public procurement law. It is still unclear whether the former German defense minister will be summoned to the committee as a witness.
