The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, is continuing to be accused of being involved in a visa scandal that made it possible for several nationals of Afghanistan, Syria, and Türkiye to obtain German Schengen visas on forged documents.
While Foreign Ministry officials have said that visas were granted in line with the country’s current rules and that only 19 cases are undergoing investigation, it has been learned that hundreds of cases are being examined, Schengen.News reports.
As the German magazine Focus explains, Minister Baerbock has been “caught up” in being involved in the visa scandal back in February 2023, with reports indicating that some individuals might be foreign secret agents.
The pressure against her and her ministry and officials is significantly growing now that there is proof that a number of foreign nationals have been able to enter the territory of Germany on Schengen visas obtained through counterfeited documents.
According to a report from Cicero, Minister Baerbock is suspected of having brought Pakistanis to Germany illegally through a reception programme aimed at nationals of Afghanistan.
German Embassy in Islamabad Warned Headquarters That 7 People Had Received Admission Promises
The German Embassy in Islamabad said that it had sent an official letter to the Berlin headquarters that a family of seven members allegedly from Afghanistan had received admission promises from the German government.
In the letter, the Embassy said that the individuals may have deliberately been given Afghan nationality and that their entry to the country could have been staged.
The main person and family may have been deliberately given Afghan identities. There is a strong suspicion that this (the family) is a case staged by Pakistani authorities.
As Cicero noted, this could mean that the individuals could be secret agents of Pakistan, and they were being brought to Germany for a “special purpose”.
Moreover, in addition to this case, it has been reported that several other Syrians, Afghans, and Turks have entered Germany on questionable documents, and a large number of them have already applied for asylum in the country.
Investigators claimed that they are checking hundreds of cases of unauthorised entries and that they are digging through all the decisions made in the past that permitted the entry of foreigners on forged documents.
The Scandal Is Causing Appointment Challenges for Turkish Nationals
While the investigation of the scandal is still ongoing, Turkish applicants have complained that they are unable to find available Schengen visa appointment slots.
Even though the exact reason is still unclear, it is believed that there are no available appointments since the German embassy officials are taking measures to ensure that no other visa scandal occurs.
