On April 20, 2018, a number of employees at the regional BAMF office in Bremen were accused of having illegally accepted hundreds of asylum applicants between 2013 and 2017, mainly from Iraq's Yazidi community. Bremen public prosecutors announced that six people, including the former director of the Bremen BAMF office, were under investigation for alleged corruption in about 1,200 cases.

Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, reacted swiftly to the allegations, saying it would be wrong to speculate on what consequences the incident could have for the BAMF immigration offices. He said that the "extremely serious allegations" would first have to be resolved. The BAMF scandal could be a major embarrassment to Chancellor Merkel's open-door policy to refugees.

A few weeks into the scandal, German media reported that 13 further regional BAMF branches were going to be subject to checks regarding their approval of asylum applications. The branches had apparently come under scrutiny for showing noticeable differences in the number of asylum applications accepted or rejected in comparison to other offices. Some 8,000 applications will have to be re-checked.

A month into the scandal, details emerged that BAMF had been informed about the possible improprieties in Bremen earlier than thought, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported. The irregularities were reportedly flagged back in February 2017. In the light of the growing scandal, BAMF head Jutta Cordt announced that some 18,000 asylum decisions made in Bremen since 2000 now had to be re-checked.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer meanwhile confirmed that he would testify before a special meeting of the Bundestag internal affairs committee to be convened at the request of the Green Party. The committee hopes to avoid a full-blown parliamentary investigation, which two other opposition parties — the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the center-right FDP — are calling for.

This might be the man who would have to answer some serious questions if a comprehensive parliamentary inquiry should be launched. Thomas de Maiziere was Germany's interior minister until the beginning of the year, overseeing the management of asylum application at the height of the refugee crisis. De Maiziere, an ally of Merkel's, criticized the shortcomings of the assessment system in the past.

On May 23, the German Interior Ministry prohibited the regional BAMF office in Bremen from deciding whether individual refugees will be given asylum in the country. Seehofer said an internal BAMF report had shown that "legal regulations and internal policies" had been "disregarded" at the center.

The city of Bremen has said Germany's Federal Criminal Police are now part of the inquiry into the wide-ranging corruption. The decision came after a crisis meeting on the scandal surrounding the city's asylum procedure for refugees.

Horst Seehofer (right) has effectively lived, breathed and eaten CSU values, probably since he was born. The 69-year-old has been at the helm of the party and Bavaria since 2008 and has, thus far, staved off challenges to his throne by young upstarts such as Markus Söder (left). More on him a little later. But in the wake of a crushing September election result, Seehofer may no longer be tenable.

Seehofer hinted at his resignation following the CSU debacle in Bavaria in October 2018. Later, when German media cited sources close to him to report he would soon step down, Seehofer denied it. Just days later, he reportedly told top CSU members he would relinquish his office, and probably step down as interior minister at a later date.

Lyrics from what is possibly Markus Söder's favorite tune. One of the pretenders to Seehofer's throne, the finance minister has been forging alliances within the CSU to prop up his position as the next-in-line. Problem is, his boss doesn't see it that way and quite frankly doesn't like him. Standing in front of the Acropolis might be the pinnacle for him — akro is Greek for "highest point."

Arguably the smoothest of the CSU's smooth operators, Alexander Dobrindt has made a name for himself at the national level as transport minister — but not necessarily for the right reasons: Dieselgate, a controversial road toll and the farce that is the planned Berlin-Brandenburg airport, to be completed in...oh, stop it. Anyway, Seehofer seems to like him and his checkered suits.

Unassuming but not to be underestimated, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann is respected beyond the state and was touted to head up the federal Interior Ministry before it all went pear-shaped. He's known for his tough stance on a refugee cap, an issue dear to his boss Seehofer's heart. His age, 61, may count against him if the CSU really does want to rejuvenate.

While she may need to work on her hat choices, deputy premier and Bavarian Economics Minister Ilse Aigner at least has a clear idea of what she wants politically. She's positioned herself as a possible Seehofer successor, much to his chagrin, by calling for a primary to decide on who should lead the CSU in next year's state election.

Manfred Weber heads the European People's Party in the European Parliament — don't fall asleep just yet. While that would normally exclude him from new pastures within the CSU, on the grounds of being boring, he's seen as one of Seehofer's key confidants and has defended his boss against attacks from the CSU's youth wing. He's been a steadying influence within the party.

Remember Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg? He of the slicked-back, jet-black hair and a plagiarized dissertation? The thing is, the people in Bavaria love him and Germany arguably never had a cooler-looking defense minister. But, more importantly, Seehofer has made no attempts to hide his admiration and sees Guttenberg as his and the party's natural hair, er, heir.