Opinion: Former Transport Minister Scheuer lacks the gift of silence

Suddenly he was back: on August 20, Andreas Scheuer was a topic on pretty much every news program. The Berlin public prosecutor's office brought charges of making false statements to a committee of inquiry. The former transport minister has to face a debate that misses the point of his multi-million dollar failure by a hair's breadth, but sheds light on it again from a different perspective.

Expensive bungling

The charges now brought against Andreas Scheuer are not about the financial disaster caused by the former minister. The mess he caused cost German taxpayers 243 million euros, for which he received nothing. In possible proceedings, however, the issue is now whether Scheuer lied to a Bundestag committee of inquiry. As he no longer has immunity, this could be quite unpleasant for him legally. He could face a prison sentence.

An opinion by Martin Franz

Martin Franz is the deputy editor-in-chief of heise/Autos. He has left his career behind him in order to devote himself to mobility in a different way: describing it. His enthusiasm for cars has changed without diminishing.

There are contradictory statements about what exactly happened at the end of 2018. A consortium that was supposed to implement the car toll logistically had repeatedly emphasized that Scheuer had offered to wait for a decision from the European Court of Justice. This was because Austria had filed a lawsuit against the German plans, which were ultimately only intended to financially burden foreign drivers on German freeways. But Scheuer pressed ahead, and he had his own reasons for doing so: a so-called commitment authorization from the Bundestag, with which he could initiate a toll for cars, was only valid until the end of 2018. He felt compelled to act and concluded a contract with the consortium at the end of December 2018 without waiting for the main decision of the European Court of Justice. In 2019, the ECJ actually overturned this idea and the car toll was off the table.

No trace of remorse

In October 2020, Scheuer testified before the committee of inquiry that he could not remember receiving an offer from the operators of the consortium to postpone the signing of the contract to implement a passenger vehicle toll. The operators of the consortium stated that such an offer had indeed been made. It is possible that Scheuer's invocation of a missing reminder will save him legally. On the other hand, the public prosecutor's office must see some hope of being able to prove that he lied; otherwise, they would have seen no chance of succeeding with their charges.

What is still completely missing today is the admission of a mistake. Scheuer, who has since retired from politics, has so far not uttered a single syllable of regret about his disastrous actions. Not a trace of remorse. He is walking with his head held high and would do the same again, he said in 2021. Considering the damage caused, at least a hint of remorse would be more than just an appropriate gesture, especially as it would cost him nothing. Politically, the man is finished anyway, and after around 20 years in the Bundestag, he is also financially secure.

But self-reflection or even tact in what is better not to say is clearly not his style. In a statement published on Facebook, he said he would fight back with all his might (which is his right) and "defend his innocence". He accused the public prosecutor's office of being politically motivated and wanting to take advantage of the media summer slump to bring charges. Instead of admitting his own failures, he also cast doubt on the rule of law. If those responsible are unable to utter a credible word of regret after a disaster amounting to almost a quarter of a billion euros, at least silence on the charges would have been appropriate. Andreas Scheuer was unable to muster this level of courage.

(mfz)