Nepotism scandal rocks German government, top officials ousted.
Patrick Graichen, a top aide to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, has resigned after allegations of nepotism. Graichen was accused of facilitating the recruitment of a friend as head of the state-owned German Energy Agency and violating ministry compliance regulations by signing off on government funding for a national climate protection project in which his sister was involved. Opposition lawmakers had repeatedly called for Graichen's dismissal and threatened to call for a parliamentary inquiry into the suspicions of nepotism.