Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Apr 02, 2025

German chancellor forced again to deny link to banking tax scandal

German chancellor forced again to deny link to banking tax scandal

Previously unseen emails put former Hamburg mayor Olaf Scholz back in spotlight over €300m fraud scheme
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday again denied allegations that he held a protecting hand over a local bank found guilty of a multimillion euro tax fraud scheme while he was mayor of Hamburg, as the centre-left politician was questioned by a state parliamentary committee in the northern city for a second time.

“I did not influence the Warburg tax procedure,” Scholz said at the start of the session. “There was no political influence on the tax procedure.”

Hamburg-based MM Warburg & Co, Germany’s oldest and largest private bank, is alleged to have swindled the German state out of an estimated €300m through the so-called “cum-ex” scheme between at least 2007 and 2011.

Cum-ex deals involve trading shares at high speed on or just before the dividend record date – the day the company checks its records to identify shareholders – and then claiming two or more refunds for capital gains tax that had in fact been paid to the state only once.

The name refers to rapidly traded shares with (“cum”) and without (“ex”) dividend rights. Last year the German federal court of justice ruled that such schemes were and always had been criminal acts of tax evasion.

Scholz, now the head of Germany’s three-party coalition government, agreed in September 2016 to meet Warburg’s boss at the time, Christian Olearius, while the bank was already under investigation by financial authorities and faced having to pay back €47m in taxes.

Shortly after the meeting, Warburg was told by Hamburg authorities that it did not have to pay the bill after all – a decision partly revoked a year later by the federal finance ministry in Berlin.

On Friday Scholz dismissed as “suppositions and insinuations” claims made by opposition politicians that he had influenced the tax authorities’ waiver by asking Olearius to forward a document outlining his defence to the city’s state minister for finance.

Even though the allegations centre on events that took place six years ago, the affair has captivated German national media again in recent weeks due to the emergence of previously unknown details.

This week it emerged that investigators working for the public prosecutor in Cologne had seized emails from Scholz’s former office manager that suggest the then mayor may have deleted data pertaining to the matter. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said the emails clearly “incriminate” Scholz.

The meeting between Scholz and Olearius was described in the former Warburg boss’s seized diary. This was cited in court and leaked to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, though the politician said he could not remember what they talked about when first questioned by a parliamentary committee.

He said he had given no “special treatment” to the banker, whose lending house plays a powerful role in Germany’s second largest city and played a part in rescuing the local shipping company Hapag-Lloyd from a sale in 2008.

At the chancellor’s annual summer press conference in early August, Scholz sounded increasingly frustrated when pressed by journalists on the affair.

“An incredible number of people have been interviewed, an incredible number of files have been scrutinised,” the Social Democratic party (SDP) politician said. “And if you follow the press coverage about the relevant hearings, there’s always the same result: no political influence was exercised when it came to the decisions. I am convinced that this understanding won’t change, that’s very clear after two and a half years.”

Prosecutors in Hamburg backed the chancellor’s stance on Tuesday this week, rejecting a legal complaint seeking to open criminal proceedings against Scholz and ruling they had so far seen no reason to investigate him.

Delegates of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and leftwing Die Linke in Hamburg want to expand the investigative committee’s reach to also look into the cum-ex activities of Hamburg Commercial Bank (formerly HSH Nordbank), which would probably lead to more appearances by the chancellor.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Europe Pursues Digital Autonomy Amidst Transatlantic Strains
OpenAI Lands Unprecedented $40 Billion Funding.
Charity Chairwoman Accuses Prince Harry of Bullying and Harassment
DOGE revealed that USAID provided $84 million to the Clinton Foundation. Of this amount, $3 million was spent on Chelsea Clinton's wedding, and $10 million was used to acquire a lavish mansion.
The State Department has announced the formal closure of USAID.
Apple's Innovation Deficit: Falling Behind in AI and Foldable Technology as Chinese Developments Progress
President Trump Proposes Military Intervention to Obtain Greenland
Passenger Taken into Custody After Engaging in Masturbation on SWISS Air Flight
Barcelona player Dani Alves found not guilty of rape accusations.
PUTIN'S LIMOUSINE DETONATES—SECURITY CHAOS ENSUES
French Foreign Ministry Denounces U.S. Interference in Corporate Diversity Initiatives
Copyright Issues Emerge as AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Images Gain Popularity
This is what we refer to as CREATIVITY.
Removing the Political Opponent Means Dismissing the Remnants of Turkey's Economy.
Malaysia Strengthens Semiconductor Regulations in Response to U.S. Pressure to Restrict AI NVIDIA Chip Exports to China.
OpenAI Launches New Image Generation Tool for ChatGPT
Ex-FIFA President and French Football Icon Acquitted of Corruption Allegations
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz Under Investigation After Journalist Added to Secret Military Chat
Ex-Business Partner of Hunter Biden Discusses Possible Pardon from President Trump
U.S. Attorney General Announces Task Force to Prosecute Government Fraud
American Brands Face Consumer Boycott in Europe Amid Escalating Trade and Political Tensions
White House Investigates Security Breach After Journalist Accidentally Added to Secret Yemen Strike Chat
Samsung Executive Han Jong-hee Dies Suddenly Amid Ongoing Corporate Challenges
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has just signed off on a national debt hike to fast-track Germany’s militarization
Heathrow Airport Restarts Services as Investigation into Power Outage Commences
Pope Francis Released from Hospital Following Pneumonia Treatment
Pope Francis Appears in Public for the First Time in Five Weeks After His Hospital Stay
Usha Vance to Head U.S. Delegation During Greenland Visit Amid Discussions on Annexation
Trump suggests US could join British Commonwealth if offered by King Charles
Elon Musk Files Lawsuit Against Jamaal Bowman for Defamatory Remarks
European Countries to Boost Defense Expenditures in Response to Changes in U.S. Assistance
Iconic Boxer George Foreman Dies at 76
European Airline Shares Fall Following Disruption from Heathrow Power Outage
Pope Francis Set to Leave Hospital Following Recovery from Pneumonia
Thousands Take to the Streets in Amsterdam to Protest Racism and Fascism
Revealing the Electromagnetic Characteristics of the Great Pyramid of Giza
President Trump Cancels Security Clearances for Notable Political Figures.
The Development of China's Automotive Sector
Netanyahu Dismisses Shin Bet Chief Amid 'Loss of Trust' and 'Qatargate' Corruption Investigations Involving Netanyahu's Advisors
UK Conservatives Remain Optimistic Despite Polling Challenges
Labour MPs Unveil Initiative to Combat Harmful Influencers and Advocate for Healthy Masculinity
Miami Beach Mayor Cancels Plan to Expel Cinema Following Documentary Showing
Thousands of Drones Illuminate the Sky in Honor of Trump.
Leaders of the US and Ukraine Participate in Constructive Call During Ongoing Conflict
Elon Musk's X Experiences Valuation Recovery to $44 billion.
UK Government Set to Implement Major Budget Cuts in Spring Statement
US Federal Reserve Downgrades Economic Growth Outlook Due to Tariff Uncertainty
EU Claims US Tech Giants Have Violated Digital Regulations
Canada Denounces the Execution of Its Citizens in China Amid Rising Tensions
European Union Moves Toward Joint Debt for Military Spending
×