Trafficking officer Scheuer indicted post Maut chaos event

In a significant turn of events, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office has filed an indictment against Andreas Scheuer, former Federal Minister of Transport, and Gerhard Schulz, former State Secretary, for alleged false statements before a parliamentary investigative committee concerning the failed car toll project. The case is now being heard at the Landgericht Berlin I (Berlin Regional Court I).

The investigation, which began in April 2022, was initiated based on several criminal complaints from private individuals. The charges allege that both men denied offering postponement of contract signing at a meeting on November 29, 2018, contrary to their actual memory.

The parliamentary investigative committee had previously looked into possible errors by Scheuer and Schulz. Their work concluded in summer 2021, with criticism focused on Scheuer signing operator contracts for the car toll as early as the end of 2018, before final legal certainty was established at the ECJ. The car toll, a project of the CSU in the black-red federal government, was later deemed illegal by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June 2019.

Scheuer, in his testimony before the committee, stated that, as far as he could remember, there had been no such offer from the operators. However, the committee's report indicated contradictory statements from Scheuer and Schulz regarding the nature of the meeting with the managers. Both are now charged with making "deliberate false statements" during their questioning in the committee.

If a trial takes place before the regional court, a "2.0 investigative committee" can be expected. This committee would likely delve deeper into the events leading up to the signing of the controversial contracts.

Andreas Scheuer, who resigned his Bundestag mandate in April 2024 and has since founded a consulting firm, continues to reject the allegations against him. He has described the charges as "incomprehensible" and politically motivated, while the spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's Office has rejected the accusation of political motivation.

The German state had to pay €243 million in damages to the operators originally intended for the car toll, following a settlement after a arbitration procedure. The opposition had previously accused Scheuer of concluding contracts for the motorway toll before legal certainty existed at the European Court of Justice.

Alexander Hoffmann, CSU parliamentary group leader, has criticized the charges against the former transport minister. The consequences of the indictment, should it lead to a conviction, could result in imprisonment of three months to five years, as per the law for making false statements as a witness or expert before a court or authority.

This development marks a significant step in the ongoing saga surrounding the failed car toll project and the roles of its key figures. The Berlin Regional Court's decision on whether to allow the indictment will provide further insight into the matter.