"Belongs to my mother"

Documents relating to gold found at AfD politician’s home

The German AfD MP Petr Bystron (pictured) is being investigated on suspicion of bribery and money laundering.

(Bild: AFP/Ronny Hartmann)

German police have found serial numbers of several gold bars, cash in envelopes and bank statements from the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein in the Berlin home of AfD member of the Bundestag Petr Bystron.

Bystron, who is under investigation on initial suspicion of bribery and money laundering, is said to have confirmed the finds to the newspaper "Welt". According to this, however, most of the valuables belong to his mother.

On AfD list position 2 for EU elections
The German press agency dpa asked Bystron for a statement in writing on Monday evening. However, this request remained unanswered until Tuesday morning. Bystron is second on the AfD list for the European elections.

The public prosecutor's office in Munich, which did not wish to comment on the "Welt" report, is investigating Bystron and has therefore already searched several properties in the past week, including his parliamentary office.

A Czech newspaper had reported that Bystron may have received money from the pro-Russian internet platform "Voice of Europe" (VoE). However, the MP for the Bundestag constituency of Munich North denies this.

Serial numbers of gold bars discovered
During a search of Bystron's home in the Wannsee district of Berlin, serial numbers of gold bars weighing 500 grams and one kilogram were discovered, among other things, according to "Welt". "I keep the documents relating to the physical gold and my mother's accounts because I have been appointed her guardian by the court," Bystron told Die Welt.

"My mother was the owner of a dental clinic in Switzerland for many years, acquired everything legally, and I keep the evidence. This also includes the old statements from the Liechtenstein account, even though it has been closed for some time."

Only the account in the Czech Republic, for which statements were also found, is attributed to Bystron himself: "The account movements on my Czech account are also all completely transparent, because they relate to rental income and expenses from properties in the Czech Republic that have belonged to me and my wife for over twenty years."