GERMANY: REGIONAL STATE CABINET MINISTER HEINZ SCHLEUSSER RESIGNS FOLLOWING SCANDAL OVER UNPAID AIR TRAVEL

Record ID: 418586

  • Title: GERMANY: REGIONAL STATE CABINET MINISTER HEINZ SCHLEUSSER RESIGNS FOLLOWING SCANDAL OVER UNPAID AIR TRAVEL
  • Date: 26th January 2000
  • Summary: DUESSELDORF, GERMANY (JANUARY 26, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WS: INTERIOR OF NORTHRHINE-WESTPHALIA STATE PARLIAMENT 0.05 2. SV: SCHLEUSSER SITTING WITH AIDE 0.13 3. VARIOUS OF PARLIAMENT IN SESSION (2 SHOTS) 0.23 4. SV; SCHLEUSSER SITTING WITH AIDE 0.29 ASTROPRAUXEL, GERMANY (RECENT - JANUARY 9 2000)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 5. VARIOUS OF SCHLEUSSER AT SPD MEETING (5 SH0TS) 1.09 DUESSELDORF, GERMANY (JANUARY 26, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. LV: EXTERIOR NORTHRHINE-WESTPHALIAN STATE PARLIAMENT BUILDING AT NIGHT 1.15 7. MV/CU: ARRIVAL NORTHRHINE-WESTPHALIAN STATE PREMIER WOLFGANG CLEMENT/ CU CLEMENT (2 SHOTS) 1.42 8. CU: JOURNALISTS 1.47 9. SCU: SOUNDBITE (German) WOLFGANG CLEMENT: "I would like to inform you that Finance Minister Schleusser just announced resignation to me. I regret this decision greatly but understand it and respect his motives. Over many years Mr. Schleusser served out state and the country with great work. He is one of the most respected finance politicians in our country. I thanked him for all of these reasons and asked him at the same time to be available to assist me and the social democrats in the future. Mr. Schleusser gave me a written statement explaining his resignation which I would like to read to you now: All but two flights taken by me with the PJC airplane charter company were for business. Legally there are no problems with that. This has been confirmed by a law professor at the University of Cologne. I paid for the two private flights. No more were taken. But at the same time I understand that there is a political dimension to these flights. There are different opinions in the political interpretation of the issue which I accept. By resigning I am not withdrawing my responsibilities towards the ongoing investigations. I will do my share in clarifying the situation. However, I cannot and will not allow my private life to be dragged any further into the public sphere. People are thereby being affected in a way that I cannot and will not accept. I thank the premier for all his support, especially since 1998. I will support him in the future wherever I can." 4.12 10. WS: JOURNALISTS PAN TO CLEMENT 4.24 11. SV: SOUNDBITE (German) CLEMENT: "What is being spread around is clearly of criminal nature, I will not change this statement. Slowly but surely I am sure you are noticing this." 4.38 12. SV: JOURNALISTS 4.43 13. SV: CLEMENT LEAVES AFTER NEWS CONFERENCE 5.04 14. VARIOUS SPD PARTY IN PARLIAMENT BUILDING 5.15 15. SCU: SOUNDBITE (German) SPD MEMBER MEINHOF KLEERE: "Actually his resignation was overdue. Now he has cleaned shop and now we can continue our election campaign without further obstacles. That is what is most important." 5.29 16. SCU: SOUNDBITE (German) MARLIES STOETZ: " This was a firm measure taken compared to the current CDU scandal. I think one must highly respect Mr. Schleusser for his decision tonight." 5.40 17. SCU: SOUNDBITE (German) KARL-PETER ABT, HEAD OF EASTERN SECTION OF NORTHRHINE WESTPHALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: "I expected this decision. He was under so much pressure. For all involved this is the cleanest solution. One must not forget his great work for our state." 5.56 18. PAN SPD PARTY IN PARLIAMENT BUILDING 6.10 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 10th February 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DUESSELDORF, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA7BB0RKAJNC5XQ70VJYA1N2CDD
  • Story Text: Heinz Schleusser, a senior member of Chancellor Gerhard
    Schroeder's Social Democrats, quit his job as as a regional
    state cabinet minister following a scandal over unpaid air
    travel.

    Schleusser, finance minister of the western state of
    North Rhine-Westphalia, issued a statement in the state
    capital Duesseldorf saying he was resigning after admitting
    that he accepted free air travel for a woman companion on
    private jets.

    Schleusser's statement, which was read out to a news
    conference by North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Wolfgang
    Clement, stressed that the flights in the 1990s were for
    business rather than private reasons.

    "I cannot and will not allow my private life to be dragged
    any further into the public sphere," the married minister said
    in the statement.

    Schleusser earlier this week confessed to having lied
    earlier about accepting free air travel for a woman companion
    on executive jets paid for in the early 1990s by WestLB, a
    bank partly owned by the North Rhine-Westphalia state
    government.

    He had earlier denied being accompanied by a woman and
    said the trips, which comprised of two flights between Germany
    and Croatia in 1990 and 1991, were for business.

    The flights came to light during an inquiry set up by the
    regional legislature in Duesseldorf to probe whether senior
    SPD politicians benefitted personally from flights on WestLB
    jets.

    It found no evidence of abuse by President Johannes Rau,
    Germany's largely ceremonial head of state, who used many such
    flights while state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia.

    The inquiry has largely been overshadowed by the continued
    revelations within the much wider scandal over undeclared
    campaign donations by the opposition Christian Democrats under
    the leadership of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

    Clement, who had earlier insisted that Schleusser need not
    resign because of the affair, said he regretted but understood
    his decision.


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