Trial begins of ex-German transport minister over car toll fiasco

Former German transport minister Andreas Scheuer, who is accused of lying to a parliamentary inquiry that was looking into his failed plans to implement a motorway car toll, appeared in court on Monday for the first day of his trial.

Scheuer, who served as transport minister from 2018-21 under former chancellor Angela Merkel, is best known for his failed attempt to push through motorway car tolls.

The plans were stopped by the European Court of Justice in 2019 following a complaint from Austria.

Under the plans, drivers from Germany would have been fully exempted from paying motor vehicle tax in return for paying the toll, which the EU's top court deemed unfair to commuters and travellers from other EU countries passing through the country.

Following the ruling, the German government had to pay millions of euros in damages to companies that had already been signed as operators, even though the court decision had been widely anticipated.

The trial held at the Berlin regional court centres on accusations that Scheuer told a parliamentary inquiry committee that was looking into the matter that he couldn't remember operators telling him they would be willing to await the court ruling before signing a contract - which would have avoided the damage payments.

Gerhard Schulz, a former state secretary under Scheuer, faces the same charges.

Both men have rejected the accusations against them, and did so again in court on Monday.

Scheuer told the court that he had "no recollection of any offer to postpone" the signing of contracts, adding that today was "emotionally very draining" for him.

"Why I am supposed to have had any interest in making a false statement before the committee remains a mystery to me," Schulz told the court.

Berlin prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into Scheuer and Schulz in April 2022 on suspicion of making false statements before the committee, based on several criminal complaints lodged by members of the public.

Despite growing calls for him to resign over the car toll debacle, Scheuer continued as transport minister until the end of the legislative period. In 2024, he resigned from the Bundestag and all his other political mandates.

Scheuer, who faces between three months and five years in prison if found guilty, arrived at the courthouse early on Monday morning, but declined to comment. The court has scheduled 12 trial dates, with a verdict possible on November 25.