Steffen Krach, the Berlin SPD’s lead candidate for the 20 September 2026 state election and chairman of the Berlin party, has said he will remain in his post regardless of the election result, even as prosecutors in Hanover continue to investigate him on suspicion of corruption.
The Hanover public prosecutor’s office opened its investigation in early September 2026, examining whether Krach, in his role as Regional President of the Hanover Region, improperly accepted a political donation in connection with the sale of a hospital site, and whether he unlawfully disclosed confidential information from a competing bid. Investigators searched Krach’s Berlin home, his former official residence in Hanover, and SPD party offices in both cities.
Krach has rejected the allegations. He says a disputed €9,900 donation made to the Berlin SPD in December 2025 was returned to the donor within 24 hours of his learning about it in January 2026, and that he never personally accepted money. Speaking to broadcasters RTL and ntv on 17 September 2026, ahead of the Berlin election, he said he would continue as party leader regardless of the outcome. Lower Saxony’s administrative oversight authority is separately reviewing whether disciplinary proceedings are warranted. The criminal investigation is ongoing and no charges have been brought.
Source: Hanover public prosecutor’s office statements, as reported by Tagesspiegel and other German media, September 2026.
