It is the third verdict against a former manager of the furniture retailer Steinhoff. The court has no doubts about his guilt.
The Oldenburg regional court has sentenced a former manager of the Steinhoff furniture company to six years in prison for tax evasion amounting to millions. Because the investigation took too long, the 65-year-old only had to go to prison for four years, said a spokesman for the Oldenburg regional court after the trial ended. The court also sentenced him to a fine of 720 daily rates of 350 euros each. (File number 2 KLs 25/22)
The court assumes tax damage of 6.7 million euros and found the ex-manager guilty in 20 cases. In the Chamber’s opinion, the defendant did not intentionally evade taxes. As a trained accountant, he must have been aware that falsified balance sheets also have an impact on taxes.
Balance sheet values deliberately changed
The public prosecutor’s office had originally accused the defendant of evading more than 26 million euros in taxes. The managing director of the group’s European companies is said to have provided false information to the tax authorities between October 2008 and August 2012. At the start of the trial in mid-February, the defendant confessed to having deliberately changed balance sheet values. He said at the time that he did not have an eye on the exact impact on taxes.
The court spokesman said that two other judgments against the businessman were also taken into account in the sentence. The court had previously convicted the ex-manager of private tax evasion of around 2.9 million euros and incorrect representation in balance sheets. At that time he received a suspended sentence, a fine and a prison sentence of three years and three months. The court spokesman explained that these penalties were now unnecessary with Monday’s verdict. The judgment is not final.
Former Poco furniture company
Steinhoff, based in Westerstede, was long considered Europe’s second largest furniture company. In Germany the company was known for the Poco chain, which has now been sold to its competitor XXXLutz. The revelation of the balance sheet manipulation almost completely destroyed the company’s stock market value in 2017.
Source: Stern
