BERLIN
The German police has found secret investigation documents about the right-extremist National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror group, during a search at the house of former deputy Sebastian Edathy, media reported on Wednesday.
The house search was ordered by Hannover public prosecutors following allegations that the former deputy possessed child pornography, an accusation Edathy denies.
The former Social Democrat Party (SPD) deputy was the chairman of a key parliamentary committee last year, which was responsible for investigating the failures of police and intelligence in overlooking murders by the NSU.
Ernst Hebeker, spokesman of the German parliament, has confirmed that Hanover prosecutors have sent the secret investigation documents that were seized at Edathy’s house back to parliament.
Confidential documents on the NSU investigation were sent by the police and intelligence organizations in 2012 and 2013 to the parliament for the work of the investigation committee.
It is strictly forbidden to take these documents out of the parliament building, unless permission was granted by the parliament’s President in exceptional circumstances.
Sebastian Edathy was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party and in January 2012 he became the chairman of the investigation committee on the NSU murders.
The committee, led by Edathy, questioned various police and intelligence officials during the years 2012-2013.
The German public learned of allegations that Edathy possessed child pornography on February 10, when Hanover's prosecutor ordered a search of his apartment and offices.
Just two days before this search order, Edathy announced his resignation from parliament, ‘for health reasons’.
The media speculated that he was tipped off about the investigation opened against him, but he denies this.
Edathy also denies allegations of possessing photographs and videos with child pornographic content, but admitted to having purchased some material from a Canadian firm in the past, which was later investigated for child pornography. He insists the material he purchased was "unambiguously legal."
On Wednesday, Berlin prosecutors opened an investigation into former Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, on suspicion that he informed SPD leader, Sigmar Gabriel late last year about the ongoing investigation into Edathy.
Friedrich told press two weeks ago that he behaved "politically and legally correctly" as it was necessary to inform Gabriel of the investigation due to ongoing coalition talks late last year, between his party bloc and the Social Democrats.
Both Gabriel and SPD leaders deny informing Edathy about the ongoing investigation.
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