Charges filed in Hannover

Prosecutors in Hannover have brought charges against Ansgar Schledde, chairman of the AfD in Lower Saxony, for alleged violations of the Political Parties Act (Parteiengesetz). The indictment was filed on 6 October, and the prosecutor's office made the step public on Wednesday, 21 October. The Large Criminal Chamber at the Hannover Regional Court must now decide whether to open main proceedings. Until a court rules, the presumption of innocence applies.

What prosecutors allege

Prosecutors say that between 16 December 2020 and 5 July 2022, Schledde, while chairman of the Ems-Vechte district association, received 113 payments that count as donations, totalling 44,630 euros. The money was allegedly not passed on without delay to the board member whom the party statutes designate for finance matters. A separate suspicion concerns the federal AfD's report of 23 November 2022 to the President of the Bundestag, where he is suspected of having caused incorrect figures on donations received by the Lower Saxony state association to be reported. NDR had reported before the announcement, citing its own information, that the case involved 48,000 euros in internal donations allegedly held in a private account, though no official confirmation had been given at that point. A breach of the Political Parties Act can be punished with a fine or up to three years in prison, according to NDR.

Schledde's response

Schledde rejects the allegations in full and says he has always abided by the law. In his statement he expressed confidence in the courts.

“An independent court will examine the facts and, I am convinced, conclude that the accusations cannot be sustained.”

He added that political disputes belong to democracy but must not be used to instrumentalise legal proceedings. Shortly before the immunity vote, NDR reported, he called the move part of constant attacks by the state government and a transparent manoeuvre a few days before municipal elections in Lower Saxony.

Immunity and earlier investigations

In early September, Schledde said publicly that charges would be brought against him as state chairman, ahead of a state parliament vote to lift his immunity. RP Online reports that the Landtag passed the lifting unanimously shortly afterwards, while NDR reported the lifting in its 21 October coverage, so the timing differs between accounts. Schledde is deputy leader of the AfD parliamentary group in the Landtag and also sits on the council and district council of Grafschaft Bentheim in Schüttorf. Prosecutors had already said in 2024 that there was initial suspicion against an AfD member of parliament over donations not forwarded promptly and expenses left out of the party report.

Party reaction and extremism classification

NDR obtained an internal AfD email sent by press spokesman Patrick Bauer, which sets a binding line on the case. Only the press office may speak externally, and interviews, statements and background talks are banned. Members are also told not to discuss the case in group chats, on mailing lists or with relatives and other party bodies. Earlier this year, AfD member of the Bundestag Martina Uhr accused Schledde of demanding control over more than 35 percent of her parliamentary budget, which he denied at the time. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the AfD in Lower Saxony as a right-wing extremist endeavour, and the party is taking legal action against that classification.