Germany: Ex-Chancellor Schroeder loses office privileges over 'friendly' ties with Putin

Germany's ruling government has stripped former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of his office and staff for maintaining cosy relations with Russia's President Vladimir Putin despite, the latter's brutal invasion of Ukraine. Germany's leaders are entitled to state-funded office when they exit the government. Schroeder's own Social Democratic Party lawmakers on the parliamentary budget committee have been linking former German leader's privileges to actual duties, rather than his status as former chancellor, according to Associated Press.

The lawmakers submitted a proposal to the German parliament this week to strip former Chancellor Schroeder of his privileges over his freindly ties with Putin. 

Ex-German chancellor associated with Russian state-controlled energy companies

The 78-year-old ex-German chancellor, who is widely associated with Russian state-controlled energy companies and Russian leader Putin, has drawn irk of Germany's political parties. He was the chairman of the supervisory board of Russian state energy company Rosneft, and has been a part of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline projects of Russia.

German braodcasters reported earlier that most of Schroeder's office staff has quit in defiance over his political stance on the Russian war. He has recently faced outrage from former political allies for his statements, that questioned Russian troops's war crimes in Bucha and Irpin towns. Gerhard Schroeder rejected what he described Ukraine's allegations of humanitarian crimes by Russian forces on Ukrainian civilians and had called for a thorough "investigation" into the claims. 

The ex-German chancellor had called for a probe into massacre of civilians in Bucha, stressing that he didn’t think the orders would have come from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He labelled Putin as "a longtime friend." In an interview with Welt TV, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that it was unfanthomable that Berlin's  former chancellor is openly lobbying for the "criminal rule of Vladimir Putin is still given an office by taxpayers."

Officials noted that Berlin's ruling government spends close to 400,000 euros towards ex-German chancellor's office. "The office will therefore be closed," the German officials announced on May 18, according to the parties' joint motion accessed by the agencies. The remaining staff will be responsible to shut the office immediately and the documents and files will be preserved for the state archives.