BERLIN -- The far-right Alternative for Germany party said Wednesday its national headquarters in Berlin were searched by officials with the city's prosecutor's office.
“Since this morning, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office has been conducting a house search in the premises of the federal headquarters of Alternative for Germany, without any prior inquiry having been directed to the AfD regarding the facts to be clarified,” the party said in a statement.
The search is primarily concerned with a investigation against former party chairman Joerg Meuthen in connection with earlier statements of accounts, the party said.
Local media reported that the party, also known as AfD, allegedly made false statements in the accountability reports to parliament in the years 2016 to 2018.
The Berlin prosecutor's office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Investigators raiding the premises looked for access to the official email accounts of Meuthen and the party's treasurer at the time, German public broadcaster ARD reported. The investigation against Meuthen has been going on since January. Meuthen, who is a member of the European Parliament, had his parliamentarian immunity lifted, ARD reported.
Investigators “copied complete hard disks, mailboxes and file folders” the AfD said in its statement.
