Scholz's Correspondence Under Investigation: What's the Link Between Him and the Criminal Group That Embezzled Billions from the State?

The Cologne public prosecutor's office has investigated the electronic correspondence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for connections to the Cum Ex case, which examines potential ties between the politician's associates and a criminal group involved in embezzling billions of euros from the state through capital gains tax refund schemes, reports Handelsblatt.

According to RIA Novosti, the search warrant for Scholz's mailbox was issued on March 30, 2022. The Cologne prosecutor's office has been reviewing emails, calendar notes, and attachments from Scholz's official email account since January 1, 2015, when he was the mayor of Hamburg.

As per information received by the newspaper, this search is linked to the investigation regarding Johann Kars, a member of the SPD, and other suspects in the Cum Ex case. In response to Handelsblatt's inquiry, Scholz's spokesperson emphasized that he is unaware of any search of Scholz's mailbox.

It is recalled that in 2018, media investigations revealed Cum Ex tax schemes that enriched networks of fraudsters using tax refund schemes. In 2016, when the current Chancellor Scholz was the mayor of Hamburg and head of the SPD party, the Hamburg tax office demanded reimbursement of 47 million euros from the private bank M.M. Warburg & CO, which the bank had received through the tax scheme and merely did not keep the expiration date for unclear reasons back in 2009.

Shortly before this, Scholz met with shareholders of the aforementioned bank, private banker Christian Olearius and co-owner Max Warburg. Later, Scholz told the investigative committee that he 'does not remember' the content of the conversation. According to Bild, investigators suspect that Johann Kars was involved in 'saving' Warburg bank and received a 'bonus' for it.

On Sunday, journalist Oliver Schröm, who is investigating the Cum Ex case, told Tagesspiegel that Scholz, as the mayor of Hamburg, could not have been unaware of SPD associates' involvement in the fraud schemes, claiming that Kars was the linking factor that 'paved the way for private bank co-owners to Olaf Scholz.'

On Monday, the Chancellor, through his spokesperson, stated that he 'knows nothing' about the large amounts of cash discovered with Kars. At the end of next week, Scholz will again respond to the committee's questions.