Cum-ex investigations: “Up to seven new charges” | EUROtoday

For Benjamin Limbach, the Minister of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia, the assembly of the Legal Committee within the Düsseldorf state parliament is definitely a routine appointment. The Green politician now has to reply questions there at common intervals concerning the standing of the Cum-Ex investigations, which is usually disagreeable for him. This Wednesday, on the committee’s invitation, Limbach introduced a number of prosecutors to the state parliament: Attorney General Thomas Harden from Cologne. Stephan Neuheuser, senior public prosecutor from Cologne – however above all Tim Engel, who’s in control of the Cum-Ex investigations in Main Department H and has been Anne Brorhilker’s successor there since summer season 2024.

The “reinforcement” they introduced with them served their goal. The parliamentarians from the completely different factions listened fastidiously to Engel’s remarks. There had been no crucial questions this Wednesday, as division head Limbach had skilled greater than as soon as up to now yr. Engel mentioned he was properly conscious that his work can be judged by the media and most people by the variety of indictments and the prominence of the banks concerned.

As a central a part of the constitutional state, public prosecutors are dedicated to justice and the power to distinguish. “You have to investigate carefully and in all directions for good reasons,” emphasised Engel. “Our declared goal is and remains to make the overall injustice carried out in the respective places tangible and to sanction it through careful investigation.”

The present standing report on which Limbach relied was already recognized at first of the week. Limbach, who confronted a variety of criticism within the authorized committee in reference to the departure of senior public prosecutor Anne Brorhilker and the reorganization of the Cologne public prosecutor’s workplace, lets the sober figures of his investigators communicate for themselves.

Since the start of 2025, 4 expenses have been filed within the cum-ex proceedings as much as the deadline of February 11, 2026, as Neuheuser introduced in writing on the request of the ministry. To put it into perspective: There are presently round 135 investigations in Cologne in cum-ex instances and within the cum-cum variant in opposition to 1,700 accused. The Ministry of Justice has now moved away from a declare to “accusations in concert”, which Limbach’s predecessor Peter Biesenbach (CDU) introduced in 2019.

On Wednesday, Engel renewed his forecast for the subsequent twelve months in entrance of the members of the Legal Affairs Committee. The Cologne public prosecutor desires to file between “five and seven” extra expenses. However, the quantity nonetheless depends upon numerous components. Limbach’s written report states that the investigators need to proceed to guage big quantities of knowledge in cum-ex proceedings with a purpose to decide potential crimes and involvement within the crime. Therefore, the investigations couldn’t be restricted to particular person members, particularly the inventory merchants concerned in cum-ex offers.

The period of those evaluations can solely be accelerated to a restricted extent by way of technical assist. “The number of both credit institutions and defendants involved is unprecedented,” writes Limbach. The crimes had been characterised by worldwide connections, huge quantities of injury, excessive felony power, a division of labor strategy and a lot of actors concerned. In addition, the “crimes occurred a long time ago”.

Limbach’s report thus addresses a second delicate level. Despite all efforts, as the primary division H chargeable for Cum-Ex stories, eight proceedings are at risk of being partially or fully barred by the statute of limitations in 2026. The division heads in Cologne are presently making an attempt to take measures to interrupt the statute of limitations “where possible”. The multi-page letter doesn’t reveal how a lot tax cash might finally be misplaced to the federal and state finance authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia.

This isn’t excellent news for Limbach. In view of the massive variety of ongoing investigations, it can’t be essentially dominated out that prosecution in particular person instances – a few of that are more likely to have occurred virtually 20 years in the past – will fail because of the statute of limitations. Limbach had already identified such a threat to the Legal Affairs Committee final May and demonstratively supported his Cum-Ex chief investigator Engel. Engel put his precedence on stopping statutes of limitations. At the time, the Green minister rejected the demand for an extra improve in personnel, citing a “well-positioned force” in Cologne.

Its present standing report states that the nation has strengthened itself in a sustainable and future-proof method with the brand new positions recognized within the 2024 supplementary price range and within the plans for the next years. In the present state price range for 2026, Limbach was in a position to safe 9 positions for public prosecutors and 5 extra positions within the assist space. He additionally factors out that each one positions deliberate for the Cum-Ex space within the State Office for Combating Financial Crime have been stuffed by February 2026.

The subsequent cum-ex felony proceedings in opposition to three former staff of the non-public financial institution MM Warburg start on March twenty fourth within the new court docket constructing in Siegburg, the department of the Bonn Regional Court. The defendants should reply earlier than the fifteenth Commercial Criminal Chamber for tax evasion or aiding and abetting. According to the indictment, the tax harm is alleged to be 278.5 million euros. The regional court docket didn’t admit the allegations in opposition to a Hamburg tax official who was additionally initially accused and separated their proceedings as a precautionary measure.