Efinally he is here. Hanno Berger, who was pushed into the center of the tax scandal in the indictment by Frankfurt public prosecutors as the “spiritus rector” of many cum-ex deals, is on trial in Wiesbaden. For Eva Kühne-Hörmann, recently replaced Minister of Justice in Hesse, this should be a last, quiet triumph. It is thanks to the perseverance of her ministry that Berger was extradited to Germany.
But the criminal proceedings that are now beginning will be long, tough and, above all, controversial. Berger, who has insulted public prosecutors as a “dirty gang” and wrongly sees himself in court, will use the stage that the judiciary in Wiesbaden offers him for himself – as is already known from his parallel proceedings in Bonn. There will be instructions for the court, witnesses and of course the public prosecutor’s office. Added to this is the high pressure of expectations from the public: finally there is someone in court on whom the scandal, the complex structures of which hardly anyone except tax lawyers with honors exams understands, can be projected.
Hesse’s new Minister of Justice, Roman Poseck, will keep a close eye on this goings-on at the “Gibber Kerb” fairground, where the trial is taking place. As long-serving President of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, Poseck will hopefully draw the right conclusions from this: Hessen’s criminal justice system must not slow down. Rather, she must warm up to a marathon of procedures.
