Toll scandal | Former Transport Minister Scheuer charged

The Berlin public prosecutor's office has filed charges against former Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) . Former State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport Gerhard Schulz, an independent, has also been charged. Scheuer is accused of making a perjured statement before the Bundestag's toll committee of inquiry in October 2020.

He stated at the time that, to his recollection, there had been no offer from Autoticket GmbH, the proposed operating consortium of CTS Eventim and Kapsch Traffic Com, to postpone the conclusion of the contract until after the European Court of Justice's ruling on the legality of the planned toll. Managers of the aforementioned companies had reported this offer to the committee, but Scheuer reportedly rejected it.

The Berlin public prosecutor's office has been investigating the former transport minister and former state secretary for transport since May 2022. Scheuer was suspected of having made "deliberately false" statements. This is the first time a former federal minister has been charged with making a false statement. Given the importance of the case, the public prosecutor's office is filing charges with the regional court.

Scheuer told Bild that the charges were "incomprehensible and distressing." He believed the motives for the charges were politically motivated. Scheuer criticized the prosecutor for using the media's "summer lull" as a time to file charges.

"Deception was part of his political actions from the beginning."

Jorrit Bosch, spokesman for transport policy of the Left Party in the Bundestag

Criticism comes from the Left Party. Jorrit Bosch, spokesperson for the Bundestag parliamentary group for transport policy, road traffic, and infrastructure, told "nd" that he was not surprised by Scheuer's accusation of perjury. "Deception has been part of his political actions from the very beginning. His toll disaster swallowed millions of taxpayers' money despite warnings." He has massively damaged people's trust in politics. Bosch continues: "As long as ministers fail to take personal responsibility for waste and deception, politics will remain untrustworthy for many citizens."

The Greens sounded similarly. Andreas Audretsch, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, declared that Andreas Scheuer acted "instead of pursuing serious policy for the country" only "for the benefit of the CSU." The CDU/CSU must now address "why it repeatedly happens that it pursues policies that go against the people."

The foreigner toll was the CSU's prestige project. Only owners of cars registered abroad were to pay. In 2013, the CSU pushed it through in its coalition agreement. However, the EU Commission filed a lawsuit in 2014 and only withdrew the infringement proceedings in December 2016 after several adjustments to the toll model. Subsequently, Austria filed a lawsuit against the German car toll with the European Court of Justice in October 2017.

In June 2019, the European Court of Justice declared the toll illegal, arguing that it constituted indirect discrimination against non-EU citizens. Andreas Scheuer was forced to terminate the toll contracts he had recently signed, and the affected companies sued for damages . After a four-year arbitration process, the Federal Republic of Germany reached an agreement with the toll consortium in July 2023 on compensation of €243 million .

The June 2021 report of the toll investigation committee sharply criticized Scheuer, stating that he was primarily responsible, had drafted contracts flawedly, and ignored risks. "His work in implementing the car toll was characterized by gross negligence, breach of the law, and poor leadership." He placed the interests of his party above the common good and "is no longer tenable as a minister." Scheuer remained in office until the end of the 2021 legislative period and subsequently re-entered the Bundestag. with agencies