Trials: Key witnesses contradict ex-minister Scheuer

The head of the ticket specialist CTS Eventim, Klaus-Peterschulenberg (75), reported to the Berlin regional court about a “postponement offer” to Scheuer in November 2018 - namely to wait before concluding contracts on car tolls until the European Court of Justice (ECJ) had decided on a lawsuit.

The court overturned the car toll in June 2019. Scheuer was accused of having concluded contracts at the end of 2018 before there was legal certainty. As a result of the ECJ ruling, taxpayers suffered millions in damages.

According to the indictment, Scheuer (52) and the former Transport State Secretary Gerhard Schulz (60) are said to have stated to the Bundestag investigative committee "deliberately untruthful" and "contrary to their actual recollection" that they could not remember a "postponement offer" in November 2018.

Scheuer and Schulz deny the allegations. Scheuer said in court: “I have no memory of an offer to postpone.”

When the trial continued in the morning, two witnesses were heard - in addition toschulenberg, Georg Kapsch (67), head of the Austrian company Kapsch. The two companies were intended to operate the planned car toll.

In his statement, Kapsch reported on the meeting in November 2018 at the Federal Ministry of Transport. The two entrepreneurs took part on the one hand and Scheuer with the then State Secretary Schulz on the other. According to Kapsch, it was about financing issues and an impending tight schedule until the planned start of the car toll. Solutions were sought. Schulenberg then said: The ECJ proceedings were ongoing anyway, “we’ll wait”. This statement had not been agreed with him beforehand.

Schulenberg's statement did not cause much joy in the ministry, said Kapsch. The reaction was: You shouldn't worry because there are reports on car tolls. They classified the car toll as compliant with European law.