Sagen om Meld, Feld og Messerschmidt forklaret The case of Meld, Feld and Messerschmidt explained

- Dansk Folkepartis EU-topfigur ... - Morten Messerschmidt. - The Danish People's Party's top EU figure ... - Morten Messerschmidt.

- Morten Messerschmidt er under pres. - Der er rod i regnskaberne. - Morten Messerschmidt is under pressure: "The accounts are in a mess.

- Dermed er der nye anklager ... - Misbrug af EU-midler. - Thus, there are new accusations ... - Misuse of EU funds.

Morten Messerschmidt er tiltalt for svindel i Meld og Feld-sagen. Morten Messerschmidt is charged with fraud in the Meld and Feld case.

Siden 2015 har Morten Messerschmidt fra DF været centrum - Since 2015, Morten Messerschmidt from DF has been the center of attention

- i en sag om mulig svindel med EU-midler. - in a case of possible fraud with EU funds.

Vi har ikke forbrudt os mod reglerne. We have not broken the rules.

- Den såkalde Meld og Feld-sag. - Det vil vi bevise. - The so-called Meld and Feld case. - We will prove it.

Nu er Messerschmidt tiltalt for svindel og dokumentfalsk. Now Messerschmidt is charged with fraud and forgery.

Sagen har hængt over partiet i mere end fem år, og DF havde håbet på - The case has been hanging over the party for more than five years, and DF had hoped

- at han kunne undgå en retssag. Men sådan gik det altså ikke. - that he could avoid a lawsuit. But it didn't work out that way.

- Godt, at vi kommer videre. - Det er konkret. Jeg kæmper kampen. - It's good that we're moving on - it's concrete. I'm fighting the fight.

Hvordan er Morten Messerschmidt endt her? How did Morten Messerschmidt end up here?

I 2015 var han formand for Meld, grundlagt i 2012 og var en alliance - In 2015, he was chairman of Meld, founded in 2012 and an alliance of

- der samlede EU's EU-skeptiske partier, bl.a. DF, i et fælles parti. - which brought together the EU's Eurosceptic parties, including DF, into a single party.

Feld var en politisk fond tilknyttet Meld, der skulle observere - Feld was a political fund associated with Meld to observe

- og bidrage til den europæiske politiske debat. - and contribute to the European political debate.

Meld og Feld fik midler af EU-kasser, EU-partier kunne søge støtte fra. Meld and Feld received funds from EU funds that EU parties could apply for support from.

Midlerne måtte kun bruges på EU-aktiviteter, ikke på kampagner - The funds could only be spent on EU activities, not on campaigns

- der kunne have indflydelse på nationale valg. - that could influence national elections.

I dag er både Meld og Feld lukket.

Sagen med Meld, Feld og Messerschmidt begyndte at rulle i 2015. The case of Meld, Feld and Messerschmidt started rolling in 2015.

Messerschmidt ledte DF's gruppe i EU-Parlamentet - Messerschmidt led DF's group in the EU Parliament -

- hvor Rikke Karlsson også sad, men i 2015 forlod hun i protest partiet. - where Rikke Karlsson also sat, but in 2015 she left the party in protest.

Jeg har opfordret Morten til at lægge regnskabene frem. I have encouraged Morten to present the accounts.

Hun ville se bilag fra Meld og Feld for støtten i 2014 - She wanted to see receipts from Meld and Feld for the support in 2014

- men det blev, if. Karlsson, afvist af Messerschmidt. - but it was, according to Karlsson, rejected by Messerschmidt.

Så kom det frem, at en rapport udgivet af EU-Parlamentet i 2015 - Then it emerged that a report published by the EU Parliament in 2015

- kritiserede Meld og Feld for skødesløst og overdrevent forbrug. - criticized Meld and Feld for careless and excessive spending.

Det her er rent regnskabsteknisk - This is purely for accounting purposes

- og handler om, på hvilken konto pengene skal trækkes. - and is about which account the money should be withdrawn to.

I maj 2016 afgjorde den politiske ledelse i Europa-Parlamentet - In May 2016, the political leadership of the European Parliament

- at DF skulle betale 2,9 mio. kr. tilbage til EU. - that DF had to pay DKK 2.9 million back to the EU.

Parlamentet mente, at EU-pengene var blevet brugt til valgkamp i Danmark. The Parliament believed that EU money had been used for election campaigns in Denmark.

Vi opfattede, at det var inden for reglerne. We perceived that it was within the rules.

Senere politianmeldte Karlsson så Messerschmidt for identitetstyveri. Karlsson later reported Messerschmidt to the police for identity theft.

Han havde meldt hende ind i Meld og Feld i 2014 uden hendes vidende. He had enrolled her in Meld and Feld in 2014 without her knowledge.

Så trak Messerschmidt sig som leder af DF's gruppe i EU-Parlamentet. Then Messerschmidt resigned as leader of the DF group in the EU Parliament.

Selv om det ikke har haft juridiske konsekvenser - Even if it hasn't had legal consequences

- burde det af moralske årsager have en konsekvens. - for moral reasons, there should be a consequence.

Så er jeg ikke den rigtige for DF i EU. Then I'm not the right person for DF in the EU.

I oktober 2016 fik DR adgang til dokumenter fra Meld og afslørede - In October 2016, DR gained access to documents from Meld and revealed

- at DF havde brugt 200.000 EU-støttekroner fra Meld - - that DF had spent 200,000 EU subsidy money from Meld

- på at finansiere partiets sommergruppemøder i 2014 og 2015. - to fund the party's summer group meetings in 2014 and 2015.

Eksperter vurderede, at der var tale om misbrug. Experts deemed it to be a case of abuse.

EU's antisvindelenhed OLAF undersøger Melds brug af EU-støttekroner. The EU's anti-fraud unit OLAF is investigating Meld's use of EU funding.

Der er ingen tvivl om, at i min verden har reglerne været overholdt. There is no doubt that in my world, the rules have been followed.

I oktober afsluttede OLAF sin undersøgelse og konkluderede - In October, OLAF completed its investigation and concluded

- at Meld havde brugt støttekronerne i strid med reglerne. - that Meld had used the subsidy money in violation of the rules.

Sagen blev overdraget til SØIK i Danmark, kendt som Bagmandspolitiet — The case was handed over to SØIK in Denmark, known as Bagmandspolitiet.

- for at undersøge, om der var sket noget ulovligt efter dansk lov. - to investigate whether anything illegal under Danish law had occurred.

Det er meget godt, for så kan man få en afslutning på det her. That's very good, because then you can put an end to this.

Det har været en farce de sidste fire år, hvor OLAF har rodet med det. It has been a farce for the last four years that OLAF has been messing with it.

Halvandet år efter blev Messerschmidt tiltalt for dokumentfalsk - A year and a half later, Messerschmidt was charged with forgery.

- og svindel med EU-midler for helt præcis 98.835 kroner. - and fraud with EU funds for exactly DKK 98,835.

Jeg har været anklaget for alverdens ting. Nu bliver det konkret. I've been accused of all sorts of things. Now it's getting concrete.

Men et medlem af Folketinget kan ikke tiltales uden Folketingets accept. But a member of the Danish Parliament cannot be prosecuted without the consent of the Parliament.

Derfor blev der afstemning om at ophæve Messerschmidts immunitet - Therefore, a vote was taken to waive Messerschmidt's immunity.

- så han kunne blive tiltalt. - so he could be prosecuted.

Forslaget er vedtaget. The proposal is adopted.

Et enigt folketing sagde ja til at ophæve immuniteten. A unanimous parliament said yes to lifting immunity.

Messerschmidt kan nu retsforfølges for svindel og dokumentfalsk. Messerschmidt can now be prosecuted for fraud and forgery.

Og det bunder i nogle begivenheder, der enten skete eller ikke skete — And it's rooted in some events that either happened or didn't happen

- den 4. august 2015. - August 4, 2015.

3/8 tjekkede politikere og ansatte fra DF ind på Color Hotel Skagen -

- til sommergruppemøde. - for the summer group meeting.

Velkommen til pressemøde hos Dansk Folkeparti. Welcome to a press conference at the Danish People's Party.

Den næste dag på samme hotel og med de samme deltagere - The next day at the same hotel and with the same participants

- havde Messerschmidt ifølge OLAF arrangeret en Meld-konference - - according to OLAF, Messerschmidt had organized a Meld conference

- som var finansieret af EU-midler. - which was financed by EU funds.

OLAF sammenligner programmet for DF's sommergruppemøde den 4. august - OLAF compares the program for DF's summer group meeting on August 4

- med Meld-konferencen, Messerschmidt siger, han afholdt samme dag. - with the Meld conference Messerschmidt says he held on the same day.

Lægger man de to programmer sammen, bliver det tydeligt - Put the two programs together and it becomes clear

- at kun ét af dem kan være rigtigt. - that only one of them can be right.

En ekspert mener, at aktiviteterne ikke kunne have fundet sted samtidig. One expert believes that the activities could not have happened at the same time.

Ifølge rapporten har DF's personale- og sekretariatschef bekræftet - According to the report, DF's Head of Personnel and Secretariat has confirmed

- at det var DF's program, der blev fulgt, ikke det for Meld-konferencen. - that it was DF's program that was followed, not that of the Meld conference.

I anklageskriftet skriver man, at Meld-konferencen aldrig fandt sted. The indictment states that the Meld conference never took place.

Men programmerne er ikke det eneste, der har fanget OLAF's opmærksomhed. But the programs are not the only thing that has caught OLAF's attention.

Det handler også om en falsk kontrakt mellem Meld og Color Hotel Skagen. It's also about a fake contract between Meld and Color Hotel Skagen.

For if. politiet fik Messerschmidt og en anden medarbejder - Because according to the police, Messerschmidt and another employee

- personale- og sekretariatschefen til at underskrive som hotelchef. - the Human Resources and Secretariat Manager to sign as hotel manager.

Formålet var at få det til at se ud - The purpose was to make it look like

- som om der var indgået en aftale med hotellet om Meld-konferencen. - as if an agreement had been made with the hotel for the Meld conference.

Det er grunden til, at Messerschmidt er tiltalt for dokumentfalsk. That is why Messerschmidt has been charged with forgery.

Nu nærmer sagen sig sin afslutning. Now the case is coming to an end.

Retssagen er i begyndelsen af august. Anklagemyndigheden kræver fængsel - The trial is in early August. The prosecution demands imprisonment.

- men Morten Messerschmidt nægter sig skyldig i alle anklager. - but Morten Messerschmidt denies all charges.

Jeg vil ikke forholde mig til, hvad der sker, hvis jeg bliver dømt - I don't want to deal with what happens if I'm convicted...

- for jeg mener, at det ikke kommer til at finde sted. - because I believe it's not going to happen.