Gavin Grey: UK Correspondent on Germany polls, a £828bn criminal money-laundering network, and a polish woman claiming to be missing girl Madeleine McCann.

Germany is heading to the polls this weekend in what could be a major shift at the heart of Europe.

Latest opinion polls have suggested a surge in support for right wing and far right parties following terror attacks by asylum seekers and/or migrants.

Will a coalition need to include a far right party to operate with a majority?

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey talks to Ryan Bridge about the shift, the raids that targeted a £828bn criminal money-laundering network, and a polish woman claiming to be missing girl Madeleine McCann. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Brian Bridge.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
Devin Gray is our UK correspondent, Devin Good evening. Hi,
the big week in this week in Germany's hitting to
the polls, this is not just going to be a
different government, but a very different looking Europe.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Yeah, I think so. And of course you know Germany
right at the heart of Europe, Ryan, and we're looking
probably at seeing Olaf Schultz lose. That's according to opinion polls,
that the leader will lose, and quite potentially again, according
to opinion polls, a large rise in right wing and
far right voting. Now, of course German government's always composed

(00:35):
of coalitions, but if the opinion polls are right, it's
going to be very difficult for anyone to form a
coalition without involving the far right parties. And that is
because the AfD, the alternative for Deutschelen, has seen a
huge rise in support. The battleground has been over the economy,
the economy flatlining in Germany, but also over immigration. Of course,

(00:58):
over the last few weeks we've been reporting asylum seekers
and those who have been granted asylum in a string
of attacks on people using cars, but also knives. The
same in Austria and the mood has really darkened about that,
and so I think we are going to see some
interesting and very different results in Germany and the potential

(01:19):
for a coalition that may have to include the far right.
Although there's always been what's been called a firewall where
the other parties have refused to work with them in
the past, but if the vote is so huge, it's
going to be very very difficult for them to ignore.
And yes, the Germans go to the polls on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Because they'll either be forced, won't they. They've got a
similar system to us here in New Zealand with them MP,
they'll either be forced to work with this party one
of them, or go back to the polls, presumably, And it's.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Already no, absolutely, it won't want another election when the
country prides itself on such a stable government. But equally,
we've already seen cracks in that firewall, with the potentially
biggest party winning this election already suggesting that it might
work with partners that it might not actually agree with

(02:09):
as long as it means that they can get the
legislation that they agree with done. So I already potential
cracks that, as I said, very interesting seventy two hours
going to come up in Germany.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Now fourteen people are listed in Spain and Portugal. This
is a series of raids, criminal money laundering, etc. What's
this about?

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Yeah, a huge amount of money, roughly one trillion euros,
which is gosh, I think into the one point six
trillion New Zealand dollars if my mass is correct. The
ring that's been arrested mainly laundered money originating from illegal
drug trafficking. They were charging roughly three percent commission per

(02:51):
transfer as part of what looked like quote a genuine
multinational money laundering company. That there have been a series
of raids throughout Europe. Many of those suspects detained are
Russian nationals, according to Europol. That's the EU law enforcement
agencies at nine properties raided across Spain and the Portuguese

(03:11):
capital Lisbon. About her one and a half million New
Zealand dollars in cash seized, along with a lot of cryptocurrencies,
and the gang operated in cities, it's been reported across Spain,
with each office processing as much as six hundred thousand
New Zealand dollars a day for Albanian, Serbian, Armenian Chinese,

(03:33):
Ukrainian and Colombian mafias. Those are the allegations.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Goodness me, let's go to the UK. Polish Froman gets
off a plane into the UK and sees, basically, I'm
Medline mckinn. Was she.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Well all the authorities and indeed a previous DNA tests
suggests the answer is no. The reason that she has
now been arrested is because this so called fake Maggie
Julia van Derveldt from Poland was arrested because she has
been on suspicion of stalking and harassing Madeline McCann's parents,

(04:10):
Jerry and Kate McCann. Of course, you will remember that
Maddie disappeared while on her holiday family holiday in Portugal
in two thousand and seven. The case has always remained
a mystery, and police are saying a twenty three year
old woman from Poland and a six year old woman
from Wales were arrested on suspicion of stalking involving serious

(04:30):
alarm or distress. The twenty three year old woman who's
been arrested claimed on television to have taken the DNA
test that she alleges was examined by a specialist in
America and linked to Kate and Jerry, but previous DNA
tests have proven she is not Madeline McCann, with another
advocate saying one hundred percent not at Madeline McCann. She

(04:53):
claims there's a new DNA test suggested she is and
the police, as I said, trying to prevent any further
upset to the McCann.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Oh you've got to fil for them, don't you. This
won't be the first one of these cases they've experienced
I mentioned. Gavin, Thank you very much. Great to have
you as always. Gavin Gray are UK correspondent. For more
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