New head of mask processing at the Ministry of Health

Berlin – The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) is handing over the investigation into the mask procurement under former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) to new hands. Lawyer Lippold von Bredow will head a corresponding working group, reports the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper, citing budget sources. The CDU member previously worked as a ministerial councilor in the Bundestag administration. There, von Bredow headed the secretariat of the Budget Committee. The Green Party has sharply criticized the personnel decision. "If it is true that von Bredow is moving to the BMG, the CDU cronies wouldn't even try to hide," Paula Piechotta, the budget officer responsible for the health budget, told the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper. She sees the possible change as a sign "that all levers are being pulled to put an end to the mask scandal." The head of the secretariat knows the Budget Committee inside and out, Piechotta said. He should now incorporate this knowledge into the mask deals working group in the Ministry of Health – "very likely to slow down the real investigation as best as possible," Piechotta said. However, senior official Lippold von Bredow had only recently moved from the Economic Affairs Committee to head the secretariat of the Budget Committee.