German opposition seeks inquiry over Scholz and tax scheme

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s main opposition party says it will seek a parliamentary inquiry into Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s handling of a tax evasion scam involving a private bank before he became the country’s leader. The center-right Union bloc said Tuesday that it will call for the national parliament to set up a commission of inquiry when it returns after the Easter break in mid-April. The issue has been a longstanding, though so far minor, irritant for Scholz. An inquiry is already underway in the state legislature in Hamburg, where Scholz was mayor from 2011 to 2018. He then served as Germany’s finance minister until becoming chancellor in late 2021.