A deputy from the populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Jörg Dornau, has indeed been fined for concealing his business in Belarus — the onion farm “Cybulka-Bel” near Lida. However, he may appeal the decision.
In August 2024, the presidium of the parliament (Landtag) of the state of Saxony imposed a fine of 20,862 euros on Dornau. The violation was that Dornau did not inform the German authorities within the legally required timeframe that he owned a stake in a company in Belarus and served as its director.
The deputy appealed the decision. He claimed that he was not obliged to report the farm and also considered the fine too high. On 10 December, the Leipzig Administrative Court ruled that the fine was lawful. The deputy had failed to declare his stake in the Belarusian company for about three and a half years, and submitted declarations only after the Landtag initiated proceedings against him, reports Die Zeit.
Given the size of the agricultural land (around 1,500 hectares) and the period during which Dornau failed to report his business, the court determined that the deputy’s actions did not constitute a “less serious case” or minor negligence and therefore could not be punished with only a warning.
Dornau may appeal the court’s decision to the Higher Administrative Court of Saxony.
The story of the onion farm belonging to Jörg Dornau was first reported by Reform.news. Dornau had concluded an agreement with the Lida Center for the Isolation of Offenders (CIP) and regularly employed Belarusians convicted on political charges to work on his onion plantation near Lida. They were paid about five euros per day. Dornau personally inspected the work of political prisoners. Those who refused to work on the farm were handcuffed to a radiator.
The Leipzig Prosecutor’s Office declined to open a criminal case against Dornau.
