Berlin - The German opposition Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) found itself at the centre of a new fundraising scandal yesterday, Derek Scally reports. Mr Roland Koch, prime minister of the state of Hessen and regional CDU party leader, has come under pressure to resign after it emerged the party accepted DM450,000 (£220,000) in donations in 1998 and 1999 through secret accounts.
According to Der Spiegel, an insurance company approached the CDU two years ago about making donations to the party which the company wanted to be anonymous. The company was told it should make payments to the CDU-associated Academy for Political Training. The insurance company has confirmed paying money to the academy, payments Mr Koch described as a "completely normal transaction". He said the academy that received the payment was "not a money laundering organisation" for the CDU".