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Berlin (dpa) - The opposition in the Bundestag sees joint responsibility of the former Federal Minister of Transport Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) for the failed car toll.
Under his leadership, the toll laws were brought by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, it said on Thursday in a joint statement from the chairmen of the FDP, Greens and Left in the toll investigation committee.
Contrary to many legal opinions, the toll laws have been declared as legally compliant.
Green chairman Oliver Krischer said that Dobrindt had threaded the car toll and set the groundwork that would have subsequently led to the “legal total loss” before the European Court of Justice.
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In the committee it was expected that the questioning of Dobrindt would not begin until the evening.
A former legal advisor to the Ministry was heard at the beginning of the session.
Then the former Secretary of State for Transport, Gerhard Schulz, should be interviewed, who played a key role in the toll.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared the car toll in the summer of 2019 to be contrary to European law - it was discriminatory for car owners from other EU countries.
The ruling related to a model for which Dobrindt, as transport minister, had received the green light from the EU Commission at the end of 2016.
The car toll was included in the black-red coalition agreement of 2013 at the insistence of the CSU.
Dobrindt was Transport Minister from 2013 to 2017 and has been CSU regional group leader since then.
The focus of the committee is that the ministry under Dobrindt's successor Andreas Scheuer (CSU) had concluded contracts for the collection and control of the toll at the end of 2018 - before final legal certainty existed.
The opposition therefore accuses Scheuer of making serious mistakes at the expense of taxpayers.
Scheuer rejects the allegations.
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FDP chairman Christian Jung said that Dobrindt should have prevented Scheuer from signing the operator contracts before the ECJ ruling.
Left chairman Jörg Cezanne said that the ministry, under Dobrindt's leadership, carried the claim that the German car toll was EU-friendly like a mantra through all parliamentary proceedings.
Meanwhile, the opposition sees unanswered questions about Scheuer's communication via a private mailbox.
Krischer said that if Scheuer had concealed correspondence about a private e-mail address about the car toll, then there would have to be consequences.
The "Spiegel" reported that Scheuer had apparently used a private, previously unknown e-mail address for official matters.
Several sources had confirmed to the magazine that Scheuer communicated via an account with the provider GMX, also in terms of car tolls.
Scheuer did not disclose the mailbox to the investigative committee.
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A spokesman for the ministry said: "Since no emails on the subject of car tolls were sent to or from this account, there can be no discussion about it."
It was also said that the constituency member and Federal Minister Scheuer could be reached in various ways.
The minister will be in the committee of inquiry on January 28 and answer questions from MPs.
FDP chairman Jung said: "I still have the impression that important emails from Andreas Scheuer are missing."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210114-99-25747 / 3
Chronology of the Ministry of Tolls
Committee of Inquiry