German Cum-Ex mastermind loses appeal

Hanno Berger, a German lawyer once dubbed the "mastermind" of Cum-Ex, lost an appeal over his conviction in the tax scandal that robbed billions of euros from government coffers and ensnared some of Wall Street's biggest banks.

The Federal Court of Justice, Germany's top criminal court, rejected his appeal, two people familiar with the proceedings said. The ruling hasn't yet been made public, they added.

In his appeal, Berger challenged his conviction by a Bonn court in December that sentenced him to eight years in prison. The judges also seized €13.7 million ($14.5 million) from the attorney, who had been charged with involvement in transactions that cost Germany €278 million. 

A spokesman for the tribunal said the court will issue a statement on Thursday, declining to comment further. Berger's lawyer Juergen Graf didn't immediately reply to an email seeking comment.

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In a separate case, a Wiesbaden court earlier this year also sentenced him to eight years and three months. His appeal against that is still pending. 

Once one of Germany's most profitable tax attorneys, Berger fled in 2012 when his Frankfurt law firm was raided as part of the Cum-Ex probe. After more than nine years in Switzerland, he was extradited early last year.