Hanno Berger 🇩🇪
Hanno Berger, once a tax-lawyer and former finance-official, emerged as a central architect of the “cum-ex” dividend-tax fraud in Germany, a scheme that inflicted multibillion-euro losses on public finances. After years abroad, he was extradited, tried, convicted and sentenced — now serving a lengthy jail term and ordered to repay substantial sums.
The Rogue
Hanno Berger is a German national and former tax inspector turned tax-lawyer and financial consultant. (Wikipedia) Over time he built a reputation advising banks, funds and wealthy investors on complex share-trading and tax structures. Prior to the scandal, his background did not feature public notoriety. (Wikipedia)
What Happened
- Between roughly 2007 and 2011, Berger helped structure and promote what came to be known as “cum-ex” or “dividend-stripping” deals. These relied on rapid share trades around dividend payout dates to cause multiple parties to claim tax-rebates on a single dividend — effectively defrauding tax authorities. (hoechstetter.de)
- After investigations intensified, Berger fled to Switzerland in 2012. In mid-2021 he was arrested in Switzerland under a German extradition request; a Swiss court approved extradition early the next year. (OCCRP)
- In December 2022 a court in Bonn convicted Berger of multiple counts of tax evasion tied to the cum-ex scandal. He received an eight-year prison sentence and was ordered to reimburse more than €13 million. (Reuters)
- In May 2023 a second trial — this time in Wiesbaden — resulted in another conviction on three further counts of tax evasion; a sentence of eight years and three months was imposed. That verdict survives appeal. (AP News)
Collectively, the two sentences may combine to a total custodial period longer than either alone, once final sentencing is consolidated. (Wikipedia)
Where Are They Now
As of 2025, Berger remains imprisoned pursuant to his convictions. (Wikipedia) In early 2024, his appeal to overturn the original Bonn verdict was rejected by Germany’s highest constitutional court, affirming that the criminal rulings stand. (Bloomberg Tax)
Reflection
The Berger case underscores how professional credentials and technical legal expertise may be deployed to facilitate large-scale financial wrongdoing — especially where complex financial instruments and tax law converge. It also illustrates that even the most intricate schemes can eventually collapse under legal scrutiny: persistent investigation, international cooperation and regulatory will proved sufficient to bring a high-profile lawyer down.