Federal government waives claims against former minister Scheuer over car toll debacle
"As a result, the experts advise against a lawsuit"; the Ministry of Transport is following this recommendation, also to prevent further damage to the taxpayer. Irrespective of this, the "undisputed political responsibility of former Federal Minister Scheuer" remains.
In summer 2019, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overturned the plan to introduce a car toll in Germany as contrary to European law. Scheuer subsequently terminated the contracts with Autoticket, but rejected the company's claims for compensation. In 2020, the Ministry of Transport appealed to an arbitration court for clarification. This court ruled that the federal government must pay 243 million euros to the company operating the car toll.
Scheuer's successor Volker Wissing (FDP) commissioned an independent legal opinion in July to clarify whether the federal government could take recourse against the former minister. A spokesperson for Wissing said at the time that due to the "considerable amount of damage" of 243 million euros, the case "could not simply be put to one side". It was "also a legal question as to whether and to what extent there was negligence".
Michael Frieser(CSU), legal expert and legal advisor to theCDU/CSU parliamentary group, told the "Rheinische Post" newspaper that Wissing's actions were "garbage". There was no legal basis for holding a member of the Federal Cabinet liable, not even a former member. There had been a cabinet and a Bundestag resolution on the car toll, Frieser continued. The then Transport Minister Scheuer could not have acted otherwise.
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Source: www.stern.de
