German AfD Fined $455,000 For Breaching Campaign Finance Law - Official

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was slapped with a hefty fine of $455,000 for receiving illegal campaign donations, local media reported on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2019) The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party was slapped with a hefty fine of $455,000 for receiving illegal campaign donations, local media reported on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the German parliament's administration confirmed to Der Spiegel magazine that the party was told to pay 402,900 Euros, three times of what was donated.

"The administrative procedure confirmed that the AfD should not have taken these donations because the donors could not be identified at the time the donations were accepted," she was quoted as saying.

AfD chairman Joerg Meuthen and the party's board member, Guido Reil, are believed to have received funds from Swiss PR agency Goal AG during their respective state election campaigns in 2016 and 2017.

German laws prohibit political parties from receiving donations from non-EU sources.

The anti-immigrant AfD made sweeping gains at the 2017 general vote in Germany, becoming the second biggest party in Bundestag after the ruling conservatives, and is vying for seats at this May's European Parliament elections.