Tandler faces more than four years in prison despite plea bargain
Court and defense agree on a deal in the trial surrounding the coronavirus mask affair: the defendants Tandler and N. confess, make amends for the damage - and can therefore expect a shorter prison sentence. However, they will not be able to avoid several years.
In the tax trial surrounding the coronavirus mask affair in Bavaria, there is a proposal for a plea bargain. The Munich I Regional Court offered the politician's daughter Andrea Tandler the prospect of a sentence of 4 years and 3 months to 4 years and 9 months. For Tandler's business partner N., the presiding judge gave a sentence of 3 years and 6 months to 4 years. The final verdict will be handed down on Friday.
The two defendants then largely admitted the tax evasion charges against them. In addition, both have announced that they will make amends for the damage caused. Both are part of the deal.
Tandler, daughter of the former CSU Secretary General and former Bavarian Minister of Finance, Economics and the Interior, Gerold Tandler, had brokered deals with various federal and state authorities for a Swiss mask supplier at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Commission payments of almost 50 million euros were made for this - which is legal in itself. However, the public prosecutor's office accuses Tandler and N. of not having correctly paid tax on the commissions and thus making themselves liable to prosecution. Tandler is alleged to have evaded a total of 23.5 million euros in taxes.
Specifically, this involves unpaid income tax of 8.7 million euros, jointly evaded gift tax of 6.6 million euros and trade tax evasion of 8.2 million euros. The Munich I public prosecutor's office ultimately estimates the economic loss incurred at 15.2 million euros. Tandler is alleged to have illegally taxed the commissions not as an individual but via a company, namely in Grünwald near Munich. Compared to the state capital, only around half of the trade tax is due there.
In October, Tandler had emphasized that she wanted to do business "where everything is handled correctly" and that she had always acted "to the best of her knowledge and belief". However, she spoke of "mistakes" that could have happened in the very hectic times at the time.
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Despite the plea bargain, Tandler and her partner still face significant jail time for their involvement in the tax fraud case during the Corona crisis. The international community is watching closely as processes related to tax evasion continue to unfold in the wake of the pandemic.
Source: www.ntv.de
