KORRUPTION & SEILSCHAFTEN
in der Politik gibt es hin und wieder Hinweise auf Geschmäckle/Klüngelei/Seilschaften = some politicians ride a tasty gravy train/feather their nests at the expense of the tax-payer; politicians leverage/exploit/milk their good contacts for their own advantage; there was some evidence of collusion between the two major parties when the new minister was appointed; the latest political appointment reeked/ smacked of nepotism/cronyism; political gamesmanship is on; cronyism and nepotism abound in politics; top trade union members cozy perks exposed/revealed; the appointement of a close friend/associate seemed to be part of a “jobs for the boys” culture
Poker/Hauen und Stechen um Ministerämter/-posten wird fortgesetzt = (backroom) horse-trading for ministerial appointments is still up for grabs/continues
Politiker aller Parteien verstricken sich in politisches Geschacher = politicians of all persuasions engage in some sort of horse-trading
Bürgermeister/Politiker missbraucht seine Amtsmacht; er muss sich vor Gericht verantworten = politician oversteps his authority/the line; the mayor has to face court/appear efore the judge/magistrate on charges of abuse of leadership/power
die Laufbahn des Landtagsabgeordneten ist durch viele Skandale geprägt = the career of the member of the state parliament has been tarred by growing scandals; the corrupt politician’s reputation was beyond redemption; the corruption affair threw the politician’s fate into limbo/stalled his career
Untersuchungsausschuss wird ins Leben gerufen/eingesetzt = a parliamentary/an independent inquiry/probe into illegal party funding has been launched/will be conducted
Politiker wird von Senatsausschuss verhört = politician tells a senate hearing his version of the story; minister to face a public grilling over illegal financial scheme
korrupte Politiker kassieren Bestechungsgelder/schöpfen Wahlkampfspenden für die eigene Firma ab = corrupt/deeply tainted politicians help themselves to payoffs/rakeoffs time and again; politicians sometimes siphon off/squirrel away funds into some type of offshore account; the candidate funneled campaign donations to his own business
unehrliche Politiker sind käuflich/bestechlich = there are always a few dishonest politicians on the take/on the make
einige Politiker sind empfänglich für Vorteilsannahme = some senators/federal MP’s play opportunistic politics with issues like the environmental/climate change policy, in order to gain personal advantage/line their own pockets/make some hay; this dishonest/corrupt politician has been accused of receiving/accepting bribes from wealthy businessmen
manche Politiker haben eine Leiche im Keller = a few politicians /entertainers have a skeleton in the closet
Partei/Politiker versucht den Schwarzgeldskandal/die Auswirkungen der Korruptionsaffäre noch immer zu vertuschen = the party is still trying to keep the slush funds affair under wraps; politician attempts to explain away/paper over/whitewash/downplay his role in/the fallout from the corruption affair; no politician is above the law/beyond reproach
nach Auffliegen des Betrugs reagieren Parteimitglieder mit Befremden = party members were baffled/blindsided by the news of the slush fund scandal; most party officials were flabbergasted/nonplussed/appalled/irked when the illicit/under-the-counter funds rort (AUS) was unravelled
Finanzminister versucht, sich von den Korruptionsvorwürfen zu distanzieren = the finance minister is trying to fend off embezzlement charges/allegations
Korruption soll ausgemerzt werden = the government has appointed a so-called corruption-buster, whose main task is the investigation into bribing scandals; serious corrupt conduct must be exposed and monitored
Stadtratsmitglied wird bei Betrug erwischt = the City Councillor got caught with his hand in the tax-payer funded cookie jar
dem Bürgermeister wird Regionalpatriotismus vorgeworfen = the city mayor has been accused of parochialism
der MdB ist glimpflich davon gekommen, er musste nur wenig Bußgeld zahlen = the federal MP got off lightly with just a small fine instead of a jail term
dem Politiker wurde ein Denkzettel verpasst = politician was put on notice for committing a few breaches of conduct code
plötzlicher Rücktritt schlug ein wie eine Bombe/war ein Paukenschlag = the news/announcement of the sudden resignation of the long-serving judge/MP/ House rep. hit like a bombshell/was like a bolt from the blue/was a real shocker
nachdem Skandal aufgeflogen ist, ist Minister nicht mehr haltbar = the minister’s job is on the line/no longer tenable after the lid was blown off the big-time scandal he got involved in/embroiled in
Zeitungsbericht deckt Korruption in der Politik auf = newspaper article exposes rot in politics; lid is lifted on/media lays bare a high-level corruption affair which is riveting the nation
die Behörden werden den illegalen finanziellen Aktivitäten des korrupten Politikers einen Riegel vorschieben = the authorities are out to slam/hit the brakes/to put paid to/put the kibosh on/to draw a red line/to draw a line in the sand on the illegal financial dealings/activities of the corrupt/devious/dodgy politician
für den korrupten Politiker wird es jetzt ungemütlich = the corrupt politician should brace himself for a lot of discomfort
Schluss machen mit schmutziger Politik = they should clean up dirty politics
Innenminister instrumentalisiert Missstände der Flüchtlinge = the Home Affairs Minister used/seized on/jumped on the refugees plight as a tool to push/advance his own agenda
Opposition instrumentalisiert Finanzskandal, um in der Gunst der Wähler zu punkten = the opposition leader attempts to gain political mileage out of the financial scandal involving the ruling party; in the wake of the incident some hypocritical self-serving/opportunistic politicians find fertile ground/home for political gain
Abgeordneter/MdB wird zur Last in der eigenen Partei und sollte zurücktreten = congressman becomes a distraction/a liabiiity for the party and should resign/step down
MdB lehnt Rücktritt ab = MP has rejected calls to resign
dem Minister wurde illegale Einflussnahme vorgeworfen = the minister has been accused of influence peddling
Einfluss zu gewinnen/auszuüben ist sehr verbreitet im Bereich der Politik = influence-hawking/influence-exercising/buying influence is omnipresent in the political arena
Ausgaben für Dienstreisen von Abgeordneten werden schärfer kontrolliert = party cracks down/clamps down on MPs travel expenses abuse/rort (AUS)
der Senator/Politiker hat Dreck am Stecken = the senator doesn’t have a clean slate; the embattled politician decided to go undercover after he got caught (out) with his hand in the cookie jar
manche Politiker bedienen sich unlauterer Mittel, um ihre Ziele zu erreichen = some politicians use/resort to gamesmanship in order to achieve their goals
Rufmord betreiben; Demontage eines Politikers = the independent politician had to endure an attempt of character assassination by some media outlets; his/her detractors are trying to throw him/her (name of politician) under the bus; the press did a hatchet job on him/ her; they (other political party) are attempting to give him/her a bad/bum rap; they are trying to smirch/ tarnish his/her reputation; the media waged a smear campaign against him
Politiker will nicht den Hut nehmen/wehrt sich gegen Rücktrittsrufe = the defiant/combative MP won’t step down despite graft/kickback charges; politician vows to stay put; the deputy finance minister staved off calls/pleas for his resignation; I’m not taking the rap for things I didn’t do”, the politician said
Regierung weist Rücktrittsrufe vom Gesundheitsminister zurück = government dismisses suggestions/rules out any prospect of replacing the health minister
ein schriller/korrupt Politiker wird in die Pflicht genommen = a dodgy/corrupt politician politician is told to lift his game/to get his act together; the embattled politician faces a spill motion (AUS, i.e. removal from position) when Parliament resumes after the weekend
“wir müssen weiter machen”, lautet ein typisches Ablenkungsmanöver von Politikern, die in einen Skandal verstrickt sind = “it’s time to move on”, is a typical statement uttered by a politician involved/ensnared/embroiled in a scandal
der Abgeordnete/MdB ist nicht gerade ein Ausbund an Geradlinigkeit/Integrität = the congressman doesn’t exactly shine with integrity
Politiker schweigen wenn sie etwas Unlauteres tun = politicians try to keep their illegal actions clothed (clad) in silence
man sollte viele Pfründe für Minister abschaffen = many perks for politicians should be stamped out/abolished Nebenbeschäftigungen/zweites Standbein für Politiker sollten untersagt werden = politicians should be banned from moonlighting in second jobs/side hustles
in manchen Ländern wird die Politik missbilligend betrachtet = in some countries politics is painted with a brush of distrust
wir leben in einer Welt, die von Sünde, Befangenheit und Korruption durchsetzt ist = we live in a world ravaged by/shot through with sin/ bias and corruption
