Dusseldorf Benjamin Frey’s statements fill several hundred pages in the files of the Cologne public prosecutor’s office. The business lawyer testified for hours, for days. He confirmed everything that his longtime partner Hanno Berger denied. The criminal nature of their cum-ex deals. All the measures her firm took to cover up the profits. Frey named dates, amounts, customers.
Hanno Berger fled when officers searched the law firm he ran with Frey in 2012. The Frankfurt tax attorney fled to Switzerland, from there he called the German investigators sometimes idiots, sometimes socialists. He wanted Frey to help Berger in the fight against the “pig state”.
Frey thought for a long time, then made a different decision. On Tuesday they met for the first time in years. Berger is in the dock, Frey on the witness stand
more on the subject
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Berger fumed when his former partner cooperated with authorities. He called Frey a liar and announced lawsuits. Frey, who once referred to Berger as his “superfather,” called Berger unscrupulous and greedy.
This episode of Handelsblatt Crime comes straight out of the courtroom. The showdown between Berger and Frey is the preliminary highlight of the cum-ex affair. A scandal that cost taxpayers billions.
Handelsblatt Crime appears every 14 days and can be heard wherever there are podcasts.
The exclusive subscription offer for you as a listener of Handelsblatt Crime: www.handelsblatt.com/mehrjournalismus
More: You can hear the last episode of Handelsblatt Crime here