They smuggled wealthy Chinese people into Germany. According to FOCUS-online research, a well-known CDU politician from North Rhine-Westphalia is also said to be involved in the activities of the alleged smuggler boss. Together with the alleged smuggler boss, he is said to have sidelined an unpopular civil servant.
Shortly before Christmas, the Frechen lawyer and alleged boss of the so-called “luxury smuggling gang” lost his temper. Claus B. was angry with this woman from the immigration office of the Rhein-Erft district, who was still looking after him and his “clients” from China. She had just refused him a residence permit for two wealthy investors from the Middle Kingdom. The identity of the recalcitrant “lady” from the office must now be clarified once and for all, the lawyer ranted on December 22, 2021 in an email to a long-serving local politician, from whom he was apparently hoping for support.
For weeks, FOCUS online has been reporting on the Rhineland smuggling affair with Cologne lawyer Claus B. as one of the alleged masterminds. The deeper the research goes, the more questionable contacts are found in party circles of the SPD, CDU and Greens. According to investigators’ findings, Claus B. and his accomplices are said to have succeeded in smuggling wealthy migrants from the Middle East, India and, above all, China in Düren, Kerpen, Solingen and the Rhein-Erft district. In return, they allegedly demanded a “fee” of up to 350,000 euros from the bogus migrants. This is stated in the investigation files of the Special Department against Organized Crime (ZeOS) at the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office.
According to FOCUS online research, a number of politicians were involved in the activities of the alleged smuggler boss. Whether they knew about the alleged illegal practices or were simply being used as instruments has yet to be clarified on a case-by-case basis.
It is about dubious party donations, political influence and dubious favors and bribes to overcome resistance from local immigration authorities. One of those involved, who is now attracting attention, is a long-serving CDU politician from the region. As intercepted conversations by the federal police during their undercover investigations suggest, he is said to have advocated the interests of the alleged smuggler chief Claus B. with the top administration in the district.
According to FOCUS-online information, the public prosecutor’s office suspects that the influential politician in the Rhein-Erft district may have solicited thank-you donations from Claus B. for his political influence in the district administration. In fact, in 2021 and 2022, a total of 12,500 euros flowed to the party in the district from people close to the lawyer Claus B. In this context, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating the CDU politician on suspicion of commercial smuggling and bribery.
The suspect stressed through his media lawyer that he never had any knowledge of the criminal smuggling activities of which the accused lawyer is accused. At no point did he support him in the expectation of a donation or in return for this. Specifically, it is about the fact that a clerk from the immigration office objected when Claus B.’s law firm applied for residence permits for those wishing to enter the country. The CDU politician is said to have intervened in order to resolve the problem with the administrative employee. Overheard telephone conversations between him and the alleged smuggling lawyer B. fuel this suspicion.
On December 23, 2021, for example, the two protagonists spoke about the unpopular team leader Sybille Müller (name changed) from the immigration office. The employee had arranged checks during which the alleged migrants were not found at their registered addresses. Ms. Müller was only blocking the checks because she was looking for a better-paid job in the administration, angrily complained lawyer B. The politician asked whether the people really did not live at the registered address. B. assured that everything was correct, which the politician was satisfied with and replied that he would contact the top management of the immigration office to eliminate the clerk’s alleged control mania.
In fact, further intercepted conversations lead to the conclusion that the politician began to use his contacts. B. asked for an appointment at the immigration office, which took place on February 25. The meeting went well, reported lawyer B. in the overheard phone call. The files were now being processed and closed in their favor. Shortly afterwards, the lawyer euphorically radioed an accomplice: the settlement permits could be picked up in a few weeks.
According to the documents, during a previous inspection, initiated by team leader Müller, not a single one of the alleged migrants was found at their registered address. After the meeting with B. and a written statement from the lawyer, a record was made so that further inspection visits to the clients were avoided.
Victory across the board, or so it seems. At least that’s what it sounds like in the phone call between the alleged smuggling boss and the CDU politician from February 2022. The annoying clerk, at least, will soon be moving to the audit office, reported Claus B. This means she is finally out of the immigration office.
The Christian Democrat reacted with relief and added that there were good prospects for a reasonable replacement. Lawyer B. thanked him for the support. The employee herself assured the investigators that she had applied for the new, better-paid position of her own accord. The question remains whether the CDU politician was aware of the alleged human trafficking activities of lawyer Claus B., which he denies. The public prosecutor’s office is based on initial suspicion. The presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction.
According to FOCUS-online research, the story begins in December 2018. For “some time”, the German diplomatic missions in China have been registering “suspicious application features” for visas for Germany, the Consulate General of Canton cabled to the Foreign Office in Berlin. A so-called “OHG model” in particular is conspicuous. These are alleged bogus companies founded in Germany.
The wealthy Chinese then buy shares in these companies in order to then receive a fictitious employment contract as managing directors and managers – although in reality they would not be working. Investing in Germany alone is not enough for permanent residence in Germany; you also have to be self-employed. However, the Chinese applicants, many of whom also wanted to go to the Rhein-Erft district, are not at all qualified for such work, the German embassy stated after intensive checks.
This was partly because many of the certificates presented turned out to be fake. Having been duped in this way, the suspected traffickers came up with another trick. The clients, who had been rejected by German diplomats, applied for a Schengen visa as tourists, which was immediately issued to them by the Czech representations in China, for example. According to investigators, the people immediately travelled on to Germany after entering the country. There they now invoked paragraphs 18 and 19 of the German Residence Act, which regulate immigration for particularly qualified migrants.
Thanks to the preliminary work of lawyer Claus B., the alleged tourists were able to produce the necessary employment contract and registered address without any problem – which ultimately led to them being granted a residence permit by some immigration offices, such as in Rhein-Erft. A circumstance that apparently made Sybille Müller suspicious. When the immigration office clerk therefore asked 26 “recognized” Chinese to come in person, only one of them showed up. But he was unable to explain what his daily work entailed, according to a note. Soon after, Ms. Müller moved to a better-paid position in another office of her own volition.
When asked, a district spokesman said: “The responsible authorities in the Rhein-Erft district have been aware of the police investigations in this entire complex since 2019.” Since then, the authority has been in regular contact with the investigating federal police. For example, the investigators have been repeatedly informed of individual suspicions and inconsistencies regarding the requirements for issuing residence permits in cases of alleged Chinese investors, according to the press spokesman. “As a result, the responsible authorities carried out extensive and intensive research into whether Chinese applicants had provided fake addresses. This is documented point by point and in particular also demonstrates the extraordinary personal commitment of the employees responsible for this.”
At no point did anyone influence the district’s investigations “or our administrative actions. Our decisions were made solely on the legal basis and in regular consultation with the authorities investigating the criminal proceedings,” is the conclusion.
According to this account, human trafficking boss Claus B. and the CDU politician completely overestimated their influence on the immigration authorities. It is possible that the overheard conversations between the two accused did not correspond to the facts. What is true and what is false?
The question will be answered by further investigations by the public prosecutor’s office. The fact is that on February 25, 2022, the alleged human trafficking boss Claus B. appeared at the immigration office. At this meeting, a statement was made that was only intended to explain the Frechen lawyer’s point of view on the residence files of his Chinese clients, it is said. Accordingly, only a record of Claus B.’s statement was recorded. Namely, with the abbreviation: “read out”, “approved” and “signed”.
Nor was it supposed to be about examining the foreigners’ files in the interests of the smuggling gang. In addition, the Federal Police are said to have asked the immigration office early on not to jeopardize the investigations into the smuggling gang. They say they never actively participated in illegal or even criminal activities. Nor was there a trip to Berlin as a thank you for an official. According to FOCUS-online research, a trip to the Spree did take place. However, it was a political education event – including a plenary session at the invitation of a CDU politician.
