Germany's interior minister banned a local branch of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees from making asylum decisions Wednesday amid a widening scandal over the allegedly improper granting of more than a thousand requests for asylum. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Annegret Korff said that until an investigation is completed, Bremen's asylum applications cases would be handled by officials elsewhere. In April, prosecutors said at least 1,200 asylum requests, mostly by members of Syria's Yazidi minority, may have been wrongly approved between 2013 and 2016. They are investigating corruption charges against the former head of the Bremen branch as well as other employees. Seehofer said he had ordered a review of all asylum requests approved in Bremen starting in the year 2000 and in which employees suspected of corruption were involved.

Source: ABC News May 23, 2018 11:26 UTC