Bückeburg millionaire heir: AfD smuggles 107 kilograms of gold out of the country
Bückeburg. A new twist in the spectacular legal dispute over the huge multi-million inheritance of a Bückeburg inventor for the AfD: As the news magazine Spiegel now reports, the AfD has apparently temporarily smuggled the gold – 107 kilograms with a current value of around 11 million euros – out of the country. It is said to be stored in Liechtenstein. According to the Spiegel investigation, several authorities responsible for combating money laundering, including the German Financial Intelligence Unit, noticed the incident. According to the report, the AfD had already stashed a total of 107 kilograms of gold in the Principality of Liechtenstein in May 2022.
One can only speculate about the reasons why the German party took the assets out of the country. When asked by Der Spiegel, the AfD remained silent on the reasons. Whether it might have something to do with the legal dispute against the heirs or a possible ban on the party, AfD Federal Treasurer Carsten Hütter did not answer.
The AfD has left open whether only the gold or the entire inheritance was taken out of the country. Hütter told Der Spiegel: "The AfD has not hidden any assets—on the contrary: All assets are transparently disclosed in the financial statements." In fact, the transfer of party assets abroad is not illegal—it simply must be properly declared.
The inheritance comes from the Bückeburg inventor Reiner Strangfeld. As was only revealed after his death, Strangfeld left the AfD what was then the largest inheritance ever for a German political party. Real estate, accounts, land, and gold: the inheritance was valued at a total of €7.3 million at the time. Due to the price of gold, the value of the inheritance has increased significantly to this day.
While the AfD is delighted with the millions, the Bückeburg man's other heirs are reacting with displeasure. Some of them refuse to accept the inheritance for the AfD. They argue that Strangfeld was not mentally competent before his death and therefore the will is invalid. They have applied to the Bückeburg District Court to secure the certificate of inheritance.
According to an investigation by Der Spiegel, the court has now commissioned an expert opinion to posthumously determine the Bückeburg man's mental state. However, the results are not yet available.
Strangfeld worked as an engineer for the faucet manufacturer "Rost und Söhne" in Porta Westfalica. He is registered as an inventor on 106 patents and applications with the German Patent and Trademark Office, with Rost und Söhne usually being named as the owner or applicant. Strangfeld's inventions include pressure flush valves and self-closing valves for toilet flushes.
According to Spiegel research, he also likely suffered from significant psychological problems. According to the report, Strangeld was twice forcibly admitted to the secure ward of a psychiatric hospital. In a 1999 psychiatric report, the doctor attested to "aggressive outbursts with delusional experiences and grandiose fantasies" as well as a "paranoid and narcissistic personality disorder." He stated that he "represented a significant threat to public safety and order" and was "severely thoughtfully disturbed" and "incapable of adequate reality control."
Before his death, Strangfeld had lived a very secluded life, appearing neither very wealthy nor a sympathizer of the AfD in Bückeburg. According to research by Der Spiegel, Strangfeld continued to write confusing treatises about supposedly supernatural apparitions and miracles in his final years.
In July 2018, the then 79-year-old finally committed suicide. The public prosecutor's office in Bückeburg responded to an inquiry from the editorial team: "There was an investigation into the death in July 2018, which revealed no evidence of foul play."
The heirs who were left empty-handed are criticizing in Der Spiegel that the gold was removed from the European Union. A great-cousin has filed a petition with the Bückeburg District Court to revoke the AfD's access to the gold while the legal dispute over the contested inheritance certificate is ongoing. "We note this with great concern. It shows how important it would be to have the assets administered by an estate administrator," said Jan-Mathis Holstein of the heir tracing agency ADD Holstein.
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