Hanno Berger makes a confession

Bonn “You could have seen it differently,” said Hanno Berger. “I just had a lot to do.” At times he had 30 lawyers and tax consultants under him, so he probably “overeat” and, unlike his habit, didn’t look too closely. “That was probably a mistake.” There are no clear statements made by the accused. Again and again he digresses and talks about the subtleties of tax law, puts it into perspective and shifts the responsibility to others. And is that supposed to be a confession?

It should. His defense attorney Richard Beyer only made that clear during the lunch break, explaining how the court should interpret Berger’s statements: “It was an open, frank confession,” Beyer said when asked. Will the court see it that way? He assumes so.