Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder resigned from the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft, following pressure from the European Union.
Schroeder announced that he will leave his post at Rosneft on Friday after the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for sanctions against former European politicians working for Russian companies.
The 78-year-old suspect, who served as chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005, was mentioned in the EU sanctions text along with others, including former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl, an Austrian newspaper. Kronen Zeitung reports.
Earlier this week, the incumbent ruling coalition deprived Schroeder of his special rights as the former head of the German government, but Schroeder will still be eligible for a state pension and continue his security service.
Former German chancellors are eligible for a variety of benefits, including their own offices with multiple paid employees, a driver, and travel expenses for the rest of their lives.
“Putin’s Useful Fools” – Ukrainian state media criticizes the German political class https://t.co/SIS4ZWBmeU
– Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 1, 2022
Earlier in March this year, current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Schröder to resign from his posts on the boards of Russian companies, saying: “I think it is wrong for Gerhard Schröder to take over these posts. And I think it is right for him to reject them.
Scholz also argued that although Schröder is a private citizen, his role as former head of the German government meant that job transfers were for him more than a personal matter, adding, “This promise does not end when he no longer holds an office, but it remains the same. ”
The German chancellor was not alone in criticizing Schroeder for staying on the board of a Russian company.
Former US President Donald Trump said of Schroeder’s business deals in 2018: “The former German chancellor is the head of a gas pipeline company… Germany is completely controlled by Russia.”
To go forward? Germany negotiates gas deal with Sharia Qatar to reduce dependency on Russiahttps://t.co/RfxtIGVIhQ
– Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 21 March 2022
Source: Breitbart
