Germany’s Federal restitution law will cost the Bonn Government 18, 000, 000, 000 deutsche marks (over $4, 000, 000, 000), German Finance Minister Franz Etzel told a press conference here today. Herr Etzel admitted, however, that final figures would not be known until the deadline for filing claims under the law, March 31 of this year, is passed.
The Finance Minister called “fantastic” an estimate of over $6, 000, 000, 000 for the restitution bill for Jewish victims offered recently by his colleague, Bonn Justice Minister Fritz Schaeffer. Thus far, he said, some 4,500, 000, 000 marks have been paid out in claims to victims of the Nazi regime.
Conceding that the restitution law had some faults, he insisted nevertheless that Germany was holding by its resolve to do everything possible–within her limited financial means–to assist victims of the Hitler era. For this reason, he emphasized, first preference in claims payments is given older claimants.
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