Charges Filed Against Ex-Minister Scheuer Following Motorway Debacle
In a significant development, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office has charged former Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer with perjury in connection with the failed car toll. The charges stem from a series of criminal complaints lodged by private individuals [1].
The controversy surrounds a breakfast meeting held in Scheuer's ministry at the end of November 2018, where managers of the later planned operating companies reportedly made an offer to Scheuer. However, Scheuer and his former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz have both denied remembering such an offer [2].
The car toll, a project of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the then black-red federal government, was halted by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in June 2019 as illegal. The project's failure resulted in a financial loss of 243 million euros to the German state, which was paid to the original operators [3].
Criticism was directed towards Scheuer for signing operator contracts for the car toll as early as late 2018, before final legal certainty existed at the ECJ. The opposition accused Scheuer of errors in budget and procurement law, to the detriment of taxpayers [4].
The public prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against Scheuer and Schulz in April 2022 due to suspicion of perjury in the parliamentary investigative committee. According to the indictment, Scheuer and Schulz made "conscious false statements" during their questioning in the committee [5].
As of August 20, 2025, the trial related to the perjury charges has begun, with Scheuer and Schulz formally charged. However, no further trial proceedings or outcomes have been reported yet [1].
The CSU, Scheuer's party, and several party members, including parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann, have criticized the decision by the public prosecutor's office [6]. If the trial takes place at the Regional Court, a "2.0 investigative committee" can be expected, with witnesses from that time likely to be questioned by the judges [2].
Meanwhile, German Federal Minister of Transport, Patrick Schnieder (CDU), declined to comment on the indictment against Scheuer. Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO of the ticket specialist CTS Eventim, and Georg Kapsch, CEO of the second consortium partner Kapsch, have both confirmed that Scheuer rejected the offer, citing the toll start must be in 2020 and it was unacceptable in the election year 2021 [7].
Despite the charges, Scheuer continues to reject the allegations, stating that the meeting with the managers was about a general political exchange of ideas [8]. Schulz also stated that he could not remember such an offer. However, Scheuer's testimony before the committee at the beginning of October 2020 contradicted this, as he stated that he could not remember such an offer from the operators [9].
An indictment was also filed against the former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz [10]. The trial promises to shed more light on the events leading up to the failed car toll and the alleged perjury charges against Scheuer and Schulz.
[1] Berliner Morgenpost [2] Handelsblatt [3] Sueddeutsche Zeitung [4] Der Spiegel [5] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung [6] Tagesspiegel [7] FAZ [8] Sueddeutsche Zeitung [9] Der Spiegel [10] Sueddeutsche Zeitung
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