Illegal Millions for the AfD?

If the suspicions are confirmed, this could become a seriously costly problem for the AfD. Illegal party financing on this scale would not only lead to hefty fines but also carry political consequences—especially in the current climate, where the party is already under heightened scrutiny.

Particularly interesting is the figure of Gerhard Dingler, a former FPÖ official who suddenly shells out millions for an AfD campaign. His claim that he did this from his private fortune already sounds implausible from an Austrian perspective—especially when a well-known real estate billionaire like Henning Conle appears in the background. Conle is no stranger when it comes to dubious financial streams linked to the AfD. As early as 2017, traces of a covert donation to Alice Weidel led in his direction.

The question is—are we looking at a classic straw man construction to bypass Germany’s party financing laws? The investigations by Austrian authorities suggest exactly that. If Dingler indeed received a gift amounting to almost exactly the same sum just before the donation, the suspicion practically forces itself into the open. Money laundering could also be on the table if the real source of the funds was deliberately concealed.

Especially embarrassing for the AfD—its treasurer has admitted that the party attempted to influence the design of the campaign posters. In doing so, he indirectly confirms that they knew who was behind it—and still saw no issue in profiting from this so-called “private donation.” The standard excuse that the party strictly adheres to the law now sounds more like a protective façade.

This isn’t just some scandalous side note. If it turns out that the donation in question came from an undeclared foreign source or was funneled through proxies, it would constitute a serious violation of Germany’s party finance law—with the corresponding consequences. Whether the party’s environment will be fazed by this is another question. But legally, things could get very uncomfortable for the AfD in the coming months.