A key figure in a massive German tax evasion case was convicted on Tuesday of three counts of tax evasion and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The state court in Bonn has convicted German lawyer Hanno Berger in connection with alleged crimes between 2007 and 2011, German news agency dpa reported.
The 72-year-old, a former German taxman who later became a consultant to banks, funds and investors, was arrested last year in Switzerland, where he had been since 2012. In February he was extradited to Germany.
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Berger has been accused in connection with the so-called cum-ex scheme, which has spawned a series of lawsuits. He was accused of helping investment bankers who traded stocks to collect multiple rebates for taxes they only paid once.
Hanno Berger (left), tax lawyer, sits in the courtroom next to his lawyer Martin Kretschmer (right). With the verdict against the architect of the Cum-Ex stock transactions, Hanno Berger, the investigation into the largest tax scandal in the Federal Republic of Germany takes another step forward.
(Oliver Berg/picture alliance via Getty Images)
During the trial, the defense team admitted wrongdoing by their client, but on a much smaller scale than prosecutors claimed, Dpa said. Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison sentence; the potential maximum sentence was 15 years.
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The verdict can be appealed. Another cum-ex case against Berger is pending in the Wiesbaden state court.
