Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Box-By-The-Riviera™ who wrote (183635)	7/25/2002 8:33:57 PM
From: Haim R. Branisteanu	Respond to of 436258

Das geld war nur fuer ein bier !!! Sleaze allegations dog Germany's parliamentarians July 25, 2002 08:12 AM ET By Philip Blenkinsop BERLIN, July 25 (Reuters) - German members of parliament stalled their holiday plans on Thursday for a special session of the Bundestag clouded by allegations of sleaze and payments for political favours only two months before the general election. The Bundestag officially met to swear in Social Democrat Peter Struck as new defence minister. However, in the week since Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sacked Struck's predecessor over questionable income from a PR firm, Germany's political elite have been busy fending off allegations they are on the make. Fresh media revelations have shown the gaffe-prone former defence minister Rudolf Scharping was not alone in receiving payments and that PR firm Hunzinger from which he took money had influence across German politics. ................................................ Although no suggestions of corruption have been proven, the payments raise questions about the impartiality of German politicians and their dedication to the voters. "The problem of corruption is here. It's not just something for developing countries," said Ute Bartels, an official of Transparency International (TI) Germany. "Our politicians should be made to declare everything. There's not such a culture of transparency here. It's much better in other countries," Bartels said, citing Scandinavian countries as good models to copy. Earlier this year prosecutors began investigating SPD leaders in Cologne and Wuppertal over allegations they accepted improperly declared donations for political favours, including the awarding of contracts to build waste disposal plants. reuters.com