Unraveling the Spahn Mask Saga: Greens Pressure Warken for Transparency
Health Minister Warken under fire as Greens allege misconduct in health department operations
The Greens are clamoring for the publication of an internal investigative report scrutinizing Jens Spahn, the ex-CDU Health Minister, regarding mask procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Green Party leader Britta Haßelmann, "It's a gross miscarriage of justice that current Minister Nina Warken has withheld this report without providing the Bundestag access immediately, in full, and without redactions."
The Greens voice their discontent that taxpayer money may have been burnt in the mask procurement debacle, potentially surpassing the losses incurred from the disputed car toll mismanagement under former Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer. Britta Haßelmann believed that the responsibility for the decisions and contract awards of Jens Spahn during the pandemic should be clarified.
Reports from NDR, WDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung suggest that Spahn, who was Health Minister until the end of 2021, is deeply implicated in the 170-page investigative report by Margaretha Sudhoff, a special commissioner appointed by Karl Lauterbach.
Spahn faces significant criticism regarding the awarding of a logistics agreement worth 1.5 billion euros to Fiege, a logistics company from his home state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The contract was given out without a public tender, despite the Federal Ministry of the Interior raising concerns about Fiege's involvement beforehand and opposition within the government's Corona crisis team.
Remarkably, this procurement project, which ultimately proved fruitless, is estimated to lead to a billion-dollar loss for the federal government. The allegations also touch upon the purchase of protective clothing and disinfectants. The Sudhoff report, available to the media since April 2025, remains undisclosed thus far.
- Jens Spahn
- Karl Lauterbach
- Nina Warken
- Corona Crisis
- Face Masks
- Britta Haßelmann
- Margaretha Sudhoff, a special investigator
Insight:
- Spahn's controversial findings in the investigation revolve around a lack of competitive bidding for a logistics contract worth over 1.5 billion euros. The contract entailed the delivery of protective masks to the federal government.
- Allegations also surfaced that Spahn may have benefited personally, possibly leading to questions on potential conflicts of interest.
- Green Party politician Niklas Dahmen raised suspicions of Spahn overriding opposition within the Corona crisis management team to secure the contract without proper procedures.
Sources: ntv.de, as/AFP, NDR, WDR, Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The Commission is also proposing to extend the scope of the Sudhoff report to include the science and medical-conditions of the protective masks and health-and-wellness products that were procured during the Corona crisis under Jens Spahn's tenure as Health Minister. This move follows concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the lack of competitive bidding for the logistics contract awarded to Fiege.
Moreover, the proposed expansion of the investigation will delve into political matters, as Greens like Britta Haßelmann and Niklas Dahmen push for transparency, believing that Spahn may have overridden opposition within the Corona crisis team to secure the contract without proper procedures.
Furthermore, with Karl Lauterbach appointing Margaretha Sudhoff as a special investigator, the extended programme could encompass general-news stories related to the mask procurement debacle and its impact on politics.
