Cum-Ex scandal: Three and a half imprisonment for former top lawyer. Former top Freshfields lawyer had advised Maple Bank on cum-ex deals in which it was unclear for a long time whether they were illegal.
Investors were reimbursed for capital gains taxes they never paid and are estimated to have defrauded the state of at least ten billion euros. They took advantage of a loophole in the law. The loophole was only closed in 2012. In 2021, the Federal Court of Justice decided that cum-Ex transactions should be viewed as tax evasion.