A committee of inquiry was formed to investigate the automobile toll catastrophe. Did Andreas Scheuer, former Transport Minister, lie? The public prosecutor’s office has charged him with perjury. Scheuer and the CSU have criticised the decision.
Former Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer is on trial in connection with the failed automobile toll. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office accused the 50-year-old of perjury before the Bundestag’s toll committee of investigation.
Former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz has also been charged, according to prosecutor Sebastian Büchner, who talked with the German Press Agency.
Scheuer is accused of giving “deliberately untruthful” testimony to the Bundestag’s investigating committee over the failed passenger car toll in 2020.
Specifically, the question is whether, as minister, he signed contracts with the chosen operational consortium despite the possibility that the project might be halted by the European Court of Justice.
According to Bild, Scheuer informed the investigation committee at the time that he could not recollect any proposition from a toll operator consortia to postpone the contract’s conclusion until after the ECJ verdict.
However, managers of the company in charge of operating the auto toll had given the inquiry committee the same statement. The ECJ deemed the German automobile toll proposal illegal in 2019.
Scheuer rejected the allegations in an interview with Bild. He emphasized: “The important thing is: This is not about the failure of a car toll in Germany. I have already assumed political responsibility for that – also for others.”
The CSU politician spoke of a politically motivated decision: “The motives and timing for the charges are incomprehensible to me and appear more politically motivated. After such a long investigation, the public prosecutor is taking advantage of the so-called media ‘summer lull’ to bring charges.” He announced that he would defend himself “with all his might” against the accusation.
CSU state parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann criticized the charges against the former transport minister. “The public prosecutor’s decision is incomprehensible,” said the head of the CSU parliamentary group.
“The allegations in question have already been comprehensively examined by a committee of inquiry of the German Bundestag, and no false statements were found by the then Federal Minister of Transport and his State Secretary. I assume that this procedure will reach the same conclusion.”
The car toll project, which was intended to protect German drivers through tax relief, was considered a prestige project of the CSU for years. The project was halted as illegal. The operating company was awarded €243 million in damages.
If the matter proceeds to trial in the Regional Court, a second round of investigating committees is envisaged. It is likely that witnesses from that time will be questioned by the judges throughout the trial.
According to the German Criminal Code, anybody who delivers false evidence as a witness or expert in court or before another body in charge of the sworn examination of witnesses or experts faces imprisonment for three months to five years.
Follow Europeans24 for more updates!
