#824 - Investigativjournalist Oliver Schröm über die Nord-Stream-Sabotage

Schröm returns to Jung & Naiv to discuss his new Nord Stream book, but first provides updates on his previous Cum-Ex investigation. He explains how former Hamburg mayor Olaf Scholz repeatedly claimed memory loss regarding meetings with bankers involved in the €90 million tax fraud, despite diary evidence proving the meetings occurred. Hamburg prosecutors never seriously investigated potential perjury charges, claiming Scholz may have told the truth in one venue while lying in another.

• Cum-Ex tax fraud investigation occupied Schröm for 10-12 years, with prosecutions ongoing but only a fraction of stolen funds recovered
• Olaf Scholz met multiple times with Cum-Ex bankers but claimed not to remember conversations about €90 million in contested tax refunds
• Hamburg prosecutors declined to investigate perjury allegations despite evidence Scholz could remember meetings in one context but not another
• An informant's tip led to discovery that Olearius, the Warburg Bank owner, kept detailed diaries documenting meetings with Scholz

Schröm explains why he initially resisted covering Nord Stream, preferring document-based investigations like Cum-Ex over intelligence agency stories where sources routinely lie. However, the combination of the criminal plot, geopolitical implications, and Germany's questionable Ukraine policy convinced him the story demanded investigation. He emphasizes Nord Stream research differs fundamentally from Cum-Ex because it lacks paper trails and involves actors with licenses to deceive.

• Schröm worked on terrorism and intelligence stories for 10 years before Cum-Ex, so he understands the challenges of researching in that world
• Intelligence agents have a 'license to lie,' making verification extremely difficult compared to financial crimes with document trails
• Despite initial reluctance, the significance of the attack and Germany's policy failures made the Nord Stream story unavoidable