Von der
Leyen admits ‘mistakes’ in contracting scandal but stands her ground
EU
Commission chief expresses regret over controversial hiring practices during
her time as German defense minister.
By JUDITH
MISCHKE 2/13/20, 9:01 PM CET
BERLIN —
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday told German MPs
investigating a contracting scandal that mistakes had been made during her
tenure as defense minister but praised the official at the center of the
affair.
An
investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that
lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is looking into how lucrative
contracts from the defense ministry while von der Leyen was in charge were
awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network
of informal personal connections facilitated those deals.
Von der
Leyen, who served as Germany's defense minister from 2013 to 2019 before
becoming the new Commission chief, has previously blamed the problems on a
mixture of negligence, corner-cutting and mistakes by individuals overwhelmed
by their work. But others have argued that some consultants had privileged
access to ministry officials that helped them circumvent rules and win
contracts worth millions of euros.
Although
there is no suggestion that von der Leyen herself was part of this network, the
increased use of external consultants became a hallmark of her tenure as
defense minister.
Von der
Leyen was the last witness of a group of 40 people to be quizzed by the
committee over a period of several months.
Von der
Leyen said she had not heard about these issues before September 2018, but
admitted she wished she had "more clarity" earlier on.
Appearing
calm as she addressed lawmakers, von der Leyen said "mistakes have been
made," adding that she regretted this.
"I
unfortunately cannot turn back time," she said during the five-hour-long
hearing, adding that she and her former ministry staff had done
"everything possible" to account for the past.
The
so-called "consulting affair" first became public in fall 2018 after
a leaked report by the country's National Audit Office described dozens of
irregularities in the hiring of external consultants by the defense ministry,
and indicated that those consultants played a more significant role than the
ministry had publicly claimed.
Von der
Leyen said she had not heard about these issues before September 2018, but
admitted she wished she had "more clarity" earlier on.
At the
center of the committee's investigations is Katrin Suder, a former McKinsey
consultant who became von der Leyen's deputy in charge of the defense
ministry's arms department. Suder resigned from her post in April 2018.
Von der
Leyen — who had previously worked with Suder while serving as Germany's labor
minister — praised her "brilliant and excellent" work repeatedly
during the hearing, saying she had "always trusted Suder" and would
"continue to do so."
Von der
Leyen stated she had no influence over hiring decisions made under Suder, but
defended the ministry's use of external consultants, which said were necessary
"support services" to digitize a formerly outdated ministry.
The
committee has now concluded its hearings and is expected to present its
findings before the German parliament's summer recess.
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