The Cum-Ex scandal has kept the European courts, investigators, and journalists in its grips for years, yet many stories around it remain untold. Other People’s Money (8 x 1h) recounts one of the most central ones, fascinating an audience of 5.6 million on German pubcaster ZDF’s online service alone. With the focus on the biggest tax fraud ever, the series gained unprecedented media applause, being praised by Der Spiegel as a “masterpiece.” The “highly sophisticated” drama (Cineuropa) by the producers of Babylon Berlin and the BAFTA and International Emmy-awarded Millenium trilogy premiered to standing ovations at Berlinale earlier this year.

Pay a tax, get it refunded twice, and claim it's legal: That’s a Cum-Ex deal. Young lawyer Sven Lebert and his boss, Dr. Bernd Hausner, expand this scheme to private investors, developing a global network of banks, lawyers, and investors that steal billions from European citizens. In Denmark, tax officials Inger Brøgger and Niels Jensen watch helplessly as state funds vanish, with little support from bankers or politicians. When Niels faces financial struggles and personal pressures, he loses his moral compass and joins the scheme. In Germany, District Attorney Lena Birkwald uncovers the massive fraud and faces fierce resistance from banks and politicians. Determined to prevent the usual outcome – where minor players are caught while the masterminds walk free – she fights tirelessly to bring those truly responsible to justice.

Created and written by Jan Schomburg (I’m Your Man), Other People’s Money was produced by X Filme Creative Pool and True Content Entertainment in co-production with EPO- Film, ZDF and DR and with NRK, SVT, RUV, YLE, NPO, VRT. Co-funded by Fisa+, GMPF, the European Union, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, The Nordvisions Fund and Croatian Audiovisual Center.