Cum-Ex scandal: Large sum of cash in Kahrs safe deposit box – Scholz under pressure
Created: 08/08/2022 13:41
By: Michelle Brey
The former SPD member of the Bundestag Johannes Kahrs is in the sights of the committee of inquiry into the Cum-Ex scandal.
© Metodi Popov/imago
Apparently, new details come to light in the Cum-Ex affair.
A large sum of money was found in a locker belonging to Johannes Kahrs.
The pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz is growing.
Berlin – The cum-ex scandal takes a new turn: a large find of cash stirs things up again.
As the
image
reports, up to 200,000 euros were found in a locker belonging to the former SPD member of the Bundestag Johannes Kahrs.
The sum may be related to the Cum-Ex scandal.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under pressure.
An overview.
What are cum-ex trades?
In “cum-ex” transactions, financial players shifted blocks of shares with (“cum”) and without (“ex”) dividend entitlement around the dividend date in a complicated system and then had taxes reimbursed multiple times.
The state lost billions in this way.
In July 2021, the Federal Court of Justice made it clear that this was not just a matter of exploiting a legal loophole, but of criminal tax evasion.
Cum-Ex affair: waiver of tax refunds in the millions
The cum-ex scandal is about the possible influence of leading SPD politicians on the tax case of the Hamburg private bank Warburg.
The focus is on Scholz, then the first mayor of the Hanseatic city, and the current mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD), then finance senator.
As can be seen from a diary entry, Scholz met the bank's shareholders, Christian Olearius and Max Warburg, in 2016 and 2017.
After the first meeting, the tax office initially waived tax reclaims amounting to 47 million euros.
A further 43 million euros were only requested in 2017 after the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Scholz had stated that he could not remember the meeting.
However, he had categorically ruled out any political influence.
Cum-Ex scandal: What role does Johannes Kahrs play?
- Large amount of cash found
At Kahrs in Hamburg there had been a raid in connection with the Cum-Ex scandal in 2021, as the German Press Agency learned from informed circles at the time.
Background: The initial suspicion of favoritism.
As reported by
Bild.de
, a bank locker was also searched at the time.
Accordingly, the cash sum was found here, the possession of which is not illegal in and of itself.
However, the public prosecutor's office apparently sees the find as an indication that Kahrs may have campaigned for the Hamburg Warburg Bank to protect it from high tax refunds, the
picture
continued.
The Cologne public prosecutor's office could not be reached for a statement on Monday morning - just like Kahrs, who did not respond to the dpa request
As Cum-Ex chronicler Oliver Schröm told
Bild
, Kahrs is said to have "paved the way for the bankers to the Federal Ministry of Finance and Olaf Scholz".
Scholz is also said to have met with Kahrs.
"That's clear from diaries and calendars," Schröm told the newspaper.
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Cum-Ex scandal: Pressure on Chancellor Scholz is growing – "Expect answers"
However, a number of politicians are demanding disclosure of the origin of the money.
The CDU member of the Bundestag, Christian Hirte, told
Der Spiegel
that Kahrs had to "clean the slate".
The "dubious role of the Hamburg SPD cries out to heaven," Hirte continued.
"We expect answers from Olaf Scholz and Peter Tschentscher, who also have to provide clarification on the ominous cash sum from Mr. Kahrs," said the CDU parliamentary group leader in the Hamburg Parliament, Dennis Thering, to the
mirror
.
Deputy Left Party leader Lorenz Gösta Beutin demanded that Kahrs disclose the origin of the money.
There are many open questions.
"It may also be possible to close gaps in memory of Chancellor Olaf Scholz."
The question of whether there was political interference in a tax procedure must finally be answered, according to Thorsten Frei (CDU), the parliamentary manager of the Union parliamentary group in the
Bundestag
.
"The testimony that the Federal Chancellor has to give to the committee of inquiry this month," he looks forward to.
This will take place on August 19th.
Cum-Ex scandal: Scholz reacts immediately - the Chancellor knew nothing about the cash amount
Scholz had previously reacted to the new details in the Cum-Ex affair.
According to his spokesman, he knew nothing of a possible large sum of cash in the possession of Kahrs.
He can rule that out, said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Monday in Berlin.
The Chancellor will again face the questions of the committee of inquiry.
"Everything that needs to be said will also be discussed there," said Hebestreit.
However, only one thing remains certain: Olaf Scholz will probably have to continue to deal with his time as the first mayor of Hamburg due to the cum-ex scandal.
(mbr with dpa and AFP)
