FRANKFURT (MNI) – Germany’s central bank called Thursday for the
dismissal of board member Thilo Sarrazin and stripped him of all
supervisory functions until a decision is taken by the country’s
president.
“The executive board of the German Bundesbank agreed unanimously
today to petition the Federal President for the dismissal of Dr. Thilo
Sarrazin as member of the executive board,” the bank said.
Since joining the bank’s board just over 18 months ago, Sarrazin
has inflamed public opinion by remarks thought to be offensive to
various minority groups.
He recently drew widespread criticism for saying that “all Jews
share a certain gene.”
Under German law, the Bundesbank board cannot autonomously remove
members; only the Federal President, Christian Wulff, has this power.
Wulff himself suggested Wednesday that he would honor the request of the
Bundesbank board to have Sarrazin ousted.
“I believe that now the executive board of the German Bundesbank
already can do something so that the discussion [about Sarrazin] does
not damage Germany, first and foremost also internationally,” he told
Germany’s N24 news channel.
In the history of the Bundesbank, no board member has ever been
dismissed, although its previous president, Ernst Welteke, was forced to
resign amidst a scandal in 2004.
–Frankfurt bureau tel.: +49-69-720142. Email: frankfurt@marketnews.com
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