Germany’s former finance minister ran over and killed a canine belonging to a well-known movie producer.
Christian Lindner, who leads Germany’s flagging Free Democratic Occasion, was leaving an Italian restaurant in Berlin behind the wheel of his automobile when he hit the canine, a Norfolk Terrier, in line with German newspaper Bild.
The canine was not leashed and belonged to German movie producer Wolf Bauer. Lindner was visibly upset and tried to get assist for the injured pooch, witnesses instructed Bild, which is owned by Axel Springer, POLITICO’s mum or dad firm.
Reached for remark by Bild, Lindner confirmed the accident and mentioned he didn’t know “the canine had since handed away.”
“The canine proprietor and I didn’t change contact data, and he didn’t introduce himself to me,” Lindner mentioned. “I’m very sorry the canine died.”
Lindner was finance minister in former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition authorities till he was sacked final November over a finances dispute, a transfer that successfully triggered snap elections.
Throughout his tenure, Lindner — a proud petrolhead who as soon as claimed his first phrase was “automobile” — strongly advocated for Germany’s car trade, opposing a European Fee proposal to wean the continent off fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
He owns a Porsche — which he was not driving on the time of the accident — and at one level got here underneath scrutiny over his textual content messages with the automaker’s boss, Oliver Blume.