German court approves trial of ex-minister Scheuer for false testimony in car toll scandal

The Berlin Regional Court has approved an indictment against former German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) on suspicion of making a false statement to a parliamentary inquiry committee investigating the failed car toll scheme, a court spokeswoman said. Former state secretary Gerhard Schulz is also indicted. Both Scheuer and Schulz deny the allegations.

The case centers on a statement Scheuer made in October 2020 before the parliamentary inquiry committee. Scheuer said he could not recall toll operators offering to postpone contract signing until after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling. The ECJ ruled the car toll illegal in June 2019. Germany subsequently had to pay 243 million euros in damages to the intended operators, following a settlement reached through arbitration.

The inquiry committee began work in December 2019 and concluded in summer 2021. It examined whether Scheuer had erred by signing operator contracts in late 2018 before the ECJ had provided final legal certainty.

The indictment alleges Scheuer and Schulz made "deliberate false statements" when questioned about a meeting on November 29, 2018. Prosecutors say both claimed they could not remember an offer to delay signing, contrary to their actual memory. A preliminary investigation was launched in April 2022, announced in May 2022, based on several criminal complaints from private individuals.

Scheuer left his Bundestag seat in April 2024. The trial will be heard before the economic criminal chamber of the Berlin Regional Court; a start date has not yet been set. The court noted that the presumption of innocence applies to Scheuer. Scheuer's lawyer, Daniel Krause, said his client "is confident that his innocence will be confirmed."