In Hamburg, the “Cum-Ex” scandal is still being processed. It is about the suspicion of tax evasion. Chancellor Scholz is now to testify again before the committee of inquiry.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is to testify a second time in August before the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (PUA) of the Hamburg Parliament on the “Cum-Ex” scandal.
The interrogation is expected to take place on August 19, said committee secretary and CDU chairman Richard Seelmaecker on Friday of the German Press Agency. Corresponding agreements would now be made between the PUA task force and the Chancellery. Scholz had already testified in April last year. The committee is to clarify whether leading SPD politicians may be influencing tax decisions at Warburg Bank, which is involved in the “Cum-Ex” scandal.
The background to this is meetings between the then Mayor Scholz and the bank’s shareholders, Christian Olearius and Max Warburg, in 2016 and 2017. Olearius was already being investigated at the time on suspicion of serious tax evasion. After the first meeting, the tax office for large companies initially waived additional tax claims of 47 million euros when the statute of limitations expired in 2016. A further 43 million euros were only requested in 2017 after the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Scholz had stated that he could not remember the meeting, but categorically ruled out any political influence.
In the case of “cum-ex” transactions, financial players shifted blocks of shares with (“cum”) and without (“ex”) a dividend entitlement around the dividend date in a complicated system and then had taxes reimbursed several times. In July 2021, the Federal Court of Justice made it clear that this was not just a matter of exploiting a legal loophole, but a criminal offense.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
