Former transport minister Andreas Scheuer denies perjury charges as Berlin toll trial opens

Opening of the trial in Berlin

The trial against former Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer and former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz commenced on Monday at the Berlin District Court. Both defendants face criminal charges of making false statements to a German Bundestag inquiry committee in 2019 and 2020. Public prosecutors allege that Scheuer and Schulz deliberately lied when questioned about decisions leading to the collapse of Germany's planned highway toll system for passenger cars. The parliamentary committee had investigated whether hundreds of millions of euros in public losses could have been avoided prior to the European Court of Justice ruling against the policy. Both defendants rejected the charges during their opening statements on Monday morning.

“I did not tell untruths before the investigative committee. I expressed myself in accordance with my memory.”

The disputed postponement offer

The prosecution centers on a meeting held on 29 November 2018 between transport ministry officials and representatives of the prospective toll operating companies. According to the indictment, the consortium offered to delay signing the operating contract until the European Court of Justice reached a verdict on Austria's legal challenge against the German toll. Both Scheuer and Schulz testified before the parliamentary committee that they had no recollection of any such offer to postpone. Prosecutors argue that both men consciously lied against their actual recollection to shield their decisions from political scrutiny. Scheuer reiterated his stance to the court, insisting that he genuinely possessed no recollection of the proposal during the committee hearings or in the present day.

“Why I should have had an interest in making a false statement before the committee of inquiry remains a mystery to me.”

Financial fallout of the toll cancellation

The Bavarian Christian Social Union had championed the highway toll system, designed to charge foreign motorists while offsetting costs for domestic drivers through vehicle tax deductions. In June 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled the mechanism discriminatory and incompatible with European Union law. Because binding operational contracts had already been signed in late 2018, the federal government terminated the agreements immediately following the court decision. The private operators subsequently initiated legal arbitration against Germany to recover lost investments and profits. The initial arbitration settlement required the federal government to pay 243 million euros in compensation to the operators, followed by an additional settlement payment of approximately 27 million euros from a second proceeding.

First arbitration settlement243

Second arbitration settlement27

First arbitration settlement

243 € million

Second arbitration settlement

27 € million

Data from the article text

Defence arguments and court timetable

Addressing the court for nearly an hour, the 51-year-old Scheuer recounted his path from Passau into national politics, emphasizing the distinction between political responsibility and criminal wrongdoing. Scheuer served as general secretary of the CSU and led the transport ministry from 2018 to 2021 before resigning his parliamentary seat in April 2024. He asked the judicial panel to evaluate his personal conduct and integrity rather than rendering a judgment on his political record. The Berlin District Court has scheduled 12 trial days to examine the case, with a final verdict slated for 25 November 2026. If convicted of perjury or giving false unsworn testimony, the defendants face statutory prison terms ranging from three months to five years.