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Court Allows Trial of Ex‑Traffic Minister Scheuer Over Alleged False Testimony

The court's move opens a criminal trial over disputed 2018 Maut contracts to determine whether lawmakers were misled.

Overview

  • On Friday, May 29, 2026, the Landgericht Berlin approved the indictment against former transport minister Andreas Scheuer and ex‑state secretary Gerhard Schulz.
  • The prosecution says both men gave deliberate false answers to the Bundestag investigation about a November 29, 2018 meeting when operators allegedly offered to delay signing contracts until after the EU court decision.
  • Scheuer and Schulz deny the charges and their lawyers say they will contest them, while the court has not yet fixed a start date and is coordinating scheduling with the parties.
  • The contested Maut plan was declared unlawful by the European Court of Justice in June 2019 and the federal government later paid roughly €243 million to the would‑be operators after arbitration.
  • A public trial will test whether the case reflects conscious deception or memory gaps and could shape accountability for ministerial decisions on large government contracts.