They asked for Parliament to lift Wulff’s immunity — an unprecedented move against a German president — saying there is “initial suspicion” that Wulff improperly accepted benefits from a German film producer friend, David Groenewold. The prosecutors said Groenewold is also under suspicion.
It was the latest in a steady drip of allegations that have besieged the president over the past two months.
The affair kicked off in mid-December, when it emerged that Wulff had received a large private loan from a wealthy businessman friend’s wife in his previous job as state governor.
That was followed in January by intense criticism over a furious call he made to the editor of Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper before it reported on the loan. Neither of those things, however, resulted in an investigation.
Wulff said in his resignation he was convinced he would be fully cleared of any wrongdoing.
“I have always behaved legally correctly in the offices I held,” he said. “I have made mistakes, but I was always honest.”
Wulff’s longtime spokesman, Olaf Glaeseker — whom the president fired in December — is also under investigation on corruption allegations in connection with the organization of business conferences.
By Elaine Donnelly
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