A German politician has been filmed taking large sums of cash from a Kremlin-supporting broadcaster, Czech intelligence has claimed.

Petr Bystron, who is standing for Alternative for Germany (AfD) at European parliamentary elections in June, allegedly received €20,000 (£17,000) in cash from the manager of a Russian propaganda network while sitting in a parked car, recordings indicate.

Mr Bystron, who also sits on the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, has previously denied allegations of taking Russian money as a “defamation campaign”.

The Security Information Service (BIS), the Czech Republic’s domestic intelligence agency, now says Mr Bystron met with Artem Marchevsky, who allegedly managed a Kremlin-backed propaganda front called Voice of Europe, at least three times in the past six months.

    • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I’ve had the “pleasure” of rubbing elbows with a few of the people currently engaged in bribery political donations. I hear the going rate is about $10k and a nice meal.

      • cordlesslamp@lemmy.today
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        6 months ago

        Aren’t their salary is roughly 6 figure? Why bother risking your career for the amount you make in 2 week?

        For 100k, that’s understandable. But 10k and a nice meal? I mean , I’m low class but you can’t even buy me for a day with that amount.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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          6 months ago

          I think that’s psychological. Irrational.

          It’s some kind of not absent, but inverted moral principle. Where if someone buys you, you get bought. Even if it’s a small sum. Like as if between being for sale and not being for sale the former were morally preferable.

          Maybe also some perverted understanding of valuing every dime.

        • Xerxos@lemmy.ml
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          6 months ago

          Depends on the job, but I think more like 5 figures. Still enough to live comfortably, but of course not enough for these greedy fucks. The reason so many are millionaires is not their salaries.