Former Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer faces trial over alleged false testimony on toll scheme
Andreas Scheuer, ex-Transport Minister, will stand trial in Berlin on accusations that he gave misleading evidence about a proposed foreign-driver toll.
A trial against former Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer begins Monday before the Berlin Regional Court, with up to twelve days of proceedings planned. Prosecutors claim Scheuer lied in a Bundestag inquiry about a 2018 informal meeting with prospective toll-system operators, during which the operators allegedly suggested postponing a contract until after a European Court of Justice ruling. In a 2019 parliamentary questioning, Scheuer denied any such offer, a denial the prosecution says contradicts later testimonies.
The indictment, filed in August 2025 and approved in May 2026, also charges former State Secretary Gerhard Schulz with comparable false statements. Under German law, false testimony before a parliamentary committee is punishable like perjury in court, exposing Scheuer to a potential three-month to five-year jail sentence, likely on probation for a first offender.
Why it matters
The case tests accountability for political leaders who may have misled parliament on major policy initiatives.
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