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Andreas Scheuer faces trial over failed car toll testimony
The criminal trial of former German Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer has commenced at the Berlin District Court. Scheuer and former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz face charges of providing false testimony to a Bundestag inquiry committee regarding the failed car toll project.
The prosecution alleges that during hearings in 2020 and 2021, the defendants falsely claimed they had no memory of an offer from toll operators to postpone contract signings until after a European Court of Justice ruling. The project, which was intended as an infrastructure fee, was ultimately struck down by the European Court of Justice in 2019 for being discriminatory against foreign drivers.
The failed project resulted in the German federal government paying approximately 243 million euros in damages to the private companies involved. Scheuer, who resigned his parliamentary mandate in April 2024, has denied all allegations, testifying that his statements to the committee were consistent with his actual memory of the events.
Entities
Andreas Scheuer · Berlin District Court · Bundestag · European Court of Justice · Gerhard Schulz · Landgericht Berlin
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [DISPUTED] The prosecution alleges that Scheuer and Schulz claimed they could not remember an offer to delay contract signings until after a European Court of Justice ruling, despite evidence to the contrary. www.leinetal24.de · www.merkur.de · www.tz.de · www.suedkurier.de · www.rtl.de · +9 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The European Court of Justice ruled that the planned car toll was illegal because it discriminated against foreign drivers. www.mdr.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.merkur.de · www.tz.de · www.suedkurier.de · +3 more
- [● 16 SOURCES] The criminal trial against Andreas Scheuer is being held at the Berlin District Court. www.mdr.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.merkur.de · www.tz.de · www.suedkurier.de · +9 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] Andreas Scheuer is the first former German federal minister to face criminal proceedings for allegedly lying to parliament. www.leinetal24.de · www.merkur.de · www.tz.de · www.faz.net
- [● 5 SOURCES] The failed car toll project resulted in a cost of 243 million euros to the German federal government. www.mdr.de · www.epochtimes.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de · www.zdfheute.de · www.rbb24.de
- [● 13 SOURCES] Andreas Scheuer and former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz are accused of providing false testimony to the Bundestag's toll inquiry committee. www.mdr.de · www.leinetal24.de · www.merkur.de · www.tz.de · www.suedkurier.de · +6 more
- [DISPUTED] Andreas Scheuer testified in court that he has no memory of an offer to postpone the contract signing. www.finanzen.at · www.volksfreund.de · osthessen-news.de