Statements before the investigative committee on car tolls could be fatal to the CSU politician.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin The Berlin public prosecutor’s office has initiated investigations against ex-transport minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) and former state secretary Gerhard Schulz. It is being determined whether they testified unequivocally and falsely before the committee of inquiry into the failed car toll.
This was announced by the authority on Tuesday. The “Spiegel” reported about it first. The investigation against Scheuer and Schulz had already been initiated on April 13, the public prosecutor said.
Scheuer rejects the allegations that he made false statements in the toll investigation committee. “I testified truthfully before the investigative committee. There is nothing to add to that, ”said the former transport minister to the Handelsblatt. “I firmly assume that a review will not come to any other conclusion.”
The public prosecutor’s office has started the investigation after several complaints were received against Scheuer and his former State Secretary Schulz – who is now the managing director of the nationalized toll operator Toll Collect. According to the public prosecutor’s office, there is an initial suspicion of “knowingly having made untruthful statements”.
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The member of the Bundestag Victor Perli (left) said that he and his then parliamentary colleague Fabio de Masi had filed a complaint against Andreas Scheuer in 2019. “The appearances of Scheuer and his state secretary in the committee of inquiry were not credible. In addition, there is still the accusation that taxpayers’ money was misappropriated in order to make toll amigos happy and to win elections,” said budget politician Perli. “It gives hope for justice that the public prosecutor’s office is now investigating.”
The car toll, a prestige project of the CSU in the then black-red federal government, was stopped in June 2019 by the European Court of Justice as illegal. As a result, Scheuer terminated the contracts immediately. A committee of inquiry had dealt with possible mistakes made by Scheuer.
Possible high costs for taxpayers
At that time, the question was how the contract for the introduction of a car toll in Germany came about. According to statements by the representatives of the then sole bidder consortium “Paspagon” for the toll operation, they had offered to wait with the conclusion of the contract until the European Court of Justice had ruled on the legality of the toll plans.
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Scheuer and Schulz explained in the committee that there had never been such an offer. However, it was said at the time that the offer had been rejected because the schedule was tight and the minister had insisted on introducing the CSU’s prestige project before the 2021 federal election.
The possible postponement was one of the key questions in the German Bundestag’s investigative committee. Had there been a later signing, the project would not have started before the verdict. The toll company, which has since been founded as Autoticket GmbH, would not have claimed EUR 560 million in damages, which, as contractually agreed, had resulted from the gross enterprise value.
Arbitration proceedings then ensued. At the end of March, a court decided that the claims for damages were justified in the matter. Now the federal government and the consortium have to agree on an amount.
More: The new climate toll brings the state treasury extra billions