German Prosecutors Charge Former Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer with False Testimony
BERLIN – German prosecutors charged former Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer on Wednesday with false testimony after he downplayed his responsibility for Germany’s failure to impose car tolls on foreigners, reports 24brussels.
In the 2010s, Scheuer and his party, the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), pushed for the introduction of a controversial fee for foreigners entering German territory. Despite being one of the few European countries without motorway charges, this initiative resulted in significant backlash.
The plan fell apart when the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in 2019 that the legislation was discriminatory towards foreigners, following an Austrian lawsuit. This ruling left Germany facing a financial burden of over €240 million due to contracts signed by the transport ministry with private firms to implement the toll.
Contractors had asserted they were willing to postpone contract signing pending legal clarity, but Scheuer reportedly insisted on proceeding. On Wednesday, prosecutors in Berlin charged him with intentionally providing false testimony during a 2020 parliamentary hearing, where he claimed ignorance of such offers.
In a statement, the former transport minister labeled the charges as “politically motivated” and “unreasonable.” If convicted, he faces a prison sentence ranging from three months to five years.
Scheuer, who served as transport minister under Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021, has faced ongoing criticism for his decision to sign the contracts prior to the ECJ’s ruling. His Bavarian party argued that the toll was a fair method for funding Germany’s infrastructure, likening it to the charges Germans incur abroad.
However, experts, including those from Scheuer’s own ministry, had warned that the plans were illegal due to the discriminatory nature of the toll, which would predominantly affect motorists from neighboring European countries. While all users were to be charged, Germans would effectively be exempted through tax cuts equal to the proposed toll.
Having withdrawn from frontline politics in 2024, Scheuer maintained that he accepted responsibility for the scheme’s failure. A legal review commissioned by his successor, Volker Wissing of the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), in 2023 concluded that Scheuer could not be personally charged regarding the failed contracts.
