Böttcher Demands Return of EUR999,000 Donation from Supervisory Board Amid AfD Controversy

Thu 30th Jan, 2025

A significant controversy has emerged surrounding a recent donation of EUR999,990 made to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been linked to Udo Böttcher, the founder of the Böttcher AG office supply company based in Jena-Zöllnitz. Böttcher is now seeking the return of the funds from his supervisory board member, Horst Jan Winter, claiming that the donation was made without his knowledge or consent.

Böttcher expressed his astonishment in a statement released by his company, indicating that he never anticipated that Winter would use any part of a substantial gift he provided for a political donation. He stated that he had given Winter EUR2 million from his personal wealth to support Winter's medical treatment for a serious illness, which included financing for various experimental therapies both in Germany and the United States.

According to Böttcher, he had not set any specific conditions on how Winter could utilize the gifted funds. However, he pointed out that Winter should have understood his position well enough to know that a donation to the AfD would not align with his views. Böttcher emphasized the potential damage to the company's reputation that such a donation could cause, especially following a previous survey conducted within the company that revealed a significant portion of employees--approximately 34%--indicated they would vote for the AfD.

After the news of Winter's donation became public, Böttcher quickly retracted his earlier supportive comments about the AfD and removed related posts from his social media accounts. Despite his previous expressions of admiration for the party and its leadership, he now asserts that he felt misled and profoundly disappointed by Winter's actions, prompting him to remove Winter from his position on the supervisory board.

Winter, for his part, has stated that his motivation for the donation was primarily to promote peace in Ukraine. He clarified that he had considered donating to other parties but ultimately decided that the AfD was poised to exert a more significant influence in opposition to the government, based on the party's polling prospects.

However, he also clarified that he did not approve of all aspects of the AfD, specifying that no funds from his donation should be allocated to certain state associations that he believed had extreme right-wing affiliations.

The ongoing dispute has sparked calls for boycotts from various social media users, particularly from more left-leaning accounts, and the demand for the return of the donation has led to renewed discussions and criticisms from factions aligned with the AfD as well.

Böttcher has issued a formal request for the return of the donation, stating that if Winter fails to comply within one week, he will pursue legal action to recover the funds. Meanwhile, the AfD has maintained its stance on retaining the donation, with its national treasurer asserting that the origins of the funds are not a matter for the party to investigate.


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