Former Minister Scheuer denies allegations of perjury
In a significant development related to the failed car toll (Autobahnmaut) scandal in Germany, former Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer is facing perjury charges. The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office initiated the investigation against Scheuer and former State Secretary for Transport Gerhard Schulz in April 2022[3].
The charges against Scheuer stem from his testimony before the Bundestag’s PKW Maut (car toll) investigation committee. It is alleged that Scheuer made statements that were not truthful regarding the toll project and its collapse[1][2]. The toll project, heavily associated with Scheuer, failed after the European Court of Justice ruled in 2019 that the toll could not discriminate against German drivers, resulting in contract terminations and costly compensation payments, including a 243 million euro settlement to the toll operator Autoticket[1].
Scheuer's lawyer, Daniel Krause, has confirmed that Scheuer firmly rejects this accusation[2]. Krause stated that Scheuer made a truthful statement about his non-existent memory concerning the events in question[4]. He further described the evidence against Scheuer as thin[5].
The case of charging someone for a single sentence - "I have no memory of this" - is unique in Germany, according to Krause[6]. He argued that anyone with no memory of a process must and can only express themselves in a certain way, and any other statement would be incorrect[7].
The investigation is ongoing, and no further statements will be made by Scheuer regarding the accusations, according to his lawyer[8]. The accusations against Scheuer are based only on the statements of two representatives of the toll operator companies and another witness testimony from hearsay, according to Krause[9].
The CSU and Scheuer have denied the perjury accusation and criticized the charges[10]. Whether this constitutes a unique case of misinterpreted memory or justified legal action depends on the legal proceedings and evidence presented. The public prosecutor’s office believes there is enough ground to bring the perjury charge forward[1][2].
This perjury accusation is not merely about memory errors but a criminal charge tied to Scheuer's official statements concerning the toll scandal, making it a serious legal matter rather than a simple misunderstanding.
[1] Bild [2] Deutsche Welle [3] Reuters [4] Tagesspiegel [5] Tagesspiegel [6] Tagesspiegel [7] Tagesspiegel [8] Tagesspiegel [9] Tagesspiegel [10] Bild
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