A spokesperson for the Alternative for Germany cited the gutting of USAID as an “interesting and courageous signal.”
BERLIN — The German far right wants to abolish the ministry responsible for foreign aid, and it’s seizing on a fraud scandal at the country’s development agency to press its case.
At the center of the controversy is GIZ, the German Agency for International Cooperation, where 24 employees from its Yemen office were dismissed over “commercial irregularities.”
While the full extent of the alleged misdoings has yet to be established, an internal GIZ assessment estimates the damage runs to tens of millions of euros, according to two people familiar with the document who were granted anonymity to describe it.
The scandal “once again underscores the fundamental shortcomings of Germany’s current development aid policy: Billions are spent without Germany or partner countries benefiting in any sustainable way,” said Rocco Kever, the spokesperson for development policy at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
As a solution, Kever cited the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump gutting USAID, America’s development agency, as an “interesting and courageous signal.”
GIZ told WELT it is reviewing the findings of its audit, adding that it takes compliance violations “very seriously” and investigates such matters carefully. The agency said its employees are bound by internal guidelines, rules and principles of integrity, and that it applies a zero-tolerance policy to breaches of those standards.
The agency also said it had carried out an organizational overhaul in Yemen and replaced senior finance and procurement roles in the Yemen portfolio.
While the AfD is not in power, it is leading in national polls. According to media reports, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democrats had also considered abolishing the development ministry during coalition talks in 2025, but its coalition partner, the center-left Social Democrats, opposed the move.
A motion by the AfD is set to be debated on Thursday in the German parliament, where it is expected to be rejected by a broad majority of all other parliamentary groups.
Earlier this months, GIZ confirmed earlier reporting by WELT that the 24 employees were dismissed. The first indications of wrongdoing, it said, were received in 2022.
The employees are suspected of embezzling development funds over several years through schemes including claims for seminars in the war-torn country that never took place and large fuel invoices for trips never made, according to three people familiar with the case who were granted anonymity to speak freely.
The allegations also include currency manipulation, questionable procurement procedures and grants that may have partly gone to purported development workers.
Nicolas Zippelius, the development policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats, called for a comprehensive investigation by GIZ into the events in Yemen.
“I attach the greatest importance to ensuring that funding is used exclusively in a correct manner and for its intended purpose,” he said.” I take indications of possible misuse of development cooperation funds very seriously.”
Green lawmaker Claudia Roth also urged greater transparency. “Especially at a time when development policy is coming under increasing attack through targeted disinformation campaigns, this is also a question of transparency: showing that urgently needed development funds are being used effectively,” she said.
“Development cooperation funds are vital for many people in recipient countries — for supply security, for the promotion of democracy, for local development — and they must reach the places where they are needed,” added Roth.
Lennart Pfahler is a reporter for WELT.
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