BERLIN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Saxonian regional assembly committee unanimously passed a motion on Thursday to revoke the legal immunity enjoyed by Alternative for Germany (AfD) party co-leader Frauke Petry, who has been accused of perjury.
The committee responded to a request from public prosecutors in the state capital Dresden. Petry is suspected to have lied under oath in 2015 during an election review.
Questioned over the elimination of a candidate from the AfD's regional list because he was allegedly unwilling to extend a loan to the party at the time, Petry made a series of self-contradictory statements.
The loss of immunity will be formally enacted if no delegate in the Saxonian regional assembly opposes the motion within the next seven days. The AfD faction is widely expected to do so however, which would trigger a vote in the assembly on the issue on Aug. 30.
If ultimately enacted, the motion would clear the path towards formal charges against the politician followed by an investigation over the course of multiple months.
Petry is the AfD's faction leader in the Saxonian assembly, as well as the party's regional leader. The right-wing populist AfD recently surged to third place in opinion polls ahead of Germany's national elections in September.
Speaking ahead of the Immunity Committee's announcement, Petry said she personally supported a revocation of her immunity. A formal case would give her an opportunity to publicly respond to the accusations against her, she said.
The AfD secretary general also welcomed the motion and subsequent legal procedures which "could only result in clearing Petry of all charges".
The Immunity Commission's president Christine Clauss noted that no verdict had been reached over whether or not Petry was guilty.
