Cum-Ex scandal: Scholz will answer in front of the U-Committee

Created: 08/17/2022, 16:24

Is said to have made contradictory statements about his meetings with banker Christian Olearius at two meetings of the Bundestag Finance Committee: Olaf Scholz.

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

New reports on the Cum-Ex scandal attract attention and raise new questions for Scholz.

A spokesman for the chancellor comforts - and refers to an eagerly awaited appearance before a committee of inquiry.

Berlin – The federal government initially did not comment on further media reports on the so-called Cum-Ex affair and referred to an appearance by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) this Friday in a committee of inquiry in Hamburg.

"I can't tell you anything about that," said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.

"In your interest, however, I can refer you to an appearance by the Federal Chancellor on Friday from 2 p.m. in Hamburg."

The investigative committee of the Hamburg state parliament, which then met, dealt with these questions and apparently also had the documents that formed the basis for the reports.

Hebestreit said: "And then all questions will be asked, and then the Chancellor will answer them."

Contradictory statements from Scholz?

According to reports in “Stern” and “Manager Magazin”, Scholz is said to have made contradictory statements about his meetings with banker Christian Olearius at two meetings of the Bundestag finance committee.

The media referred to the minutes of a meeting of the Bundestag Finance Committee in July 2020, which was classified as confidential. Scholz was Federal Minister of Finance at the time.

The protocol is therefore in the secret protection office of the Bundestag.

MPs are only allowed to inspect the document.

According to the report, "Stern" managed to obtain knowledge of the wording of the protocol.

According to "Stern", "Manager Magazin" and NDR, the Cologne public prosecutor's office also searched the e-mail traffic of a former employee in the Federal Ministry of Finance and today's office manager of the Chancellor in the course of their Cum-Ex investigations.

The public prosecutor's office did not comment on this when asked.

According to Scholz, there was no political influence

The Hamburg investigative committee wants to clarify the accusation that leading SPD politicians may be influencing the tax treatment of the Hamburg Warburg Bank.

Scholz had only recently rejected any responsibility in the tax affair.

"There is no evidence that there was any political influence," said the SPD politician last Thursday.

"I am sure that this realization will not be changed."

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After the meeting of the then mayor Scholz with the bank shareholders Olearius and Max Warburg in 2016, the Hamburg tax authorities initially let a 47 million euro tax refund against the bank expire.

A year later, she only raised a claim for repayment of 43 million euros under pressure from the Federal Ministry of Finance shortly before the statute of limitations began.

In the matter, the Cologne public prosecutor's office is already investigating two former Hamburg SPD politicians and a tax officer on suspicion of abetting tax evasion.

The investigative committee of the Hamburg parliament is also dealing with it.

Scholz is to testify before him for the second time on Friday.

In "cum-ex" transactions, blocks of shares were moved back and forth by several participants around the dividend record date with ("cum") and without ("ex") a right to a dividend.

As a result, tax offices reimbursed capital gains taxes that had not been paid at all.

The state suffered billions in damage.

dpa