Ackermann Sees No Legal Basis for Returning Paid-Out Bonuses

  • Ackermann discussed forfeiture of unpaid bonuses with bank
  • Ex-CEO Regrets break with bank comments about predecessors

Josef Ackermann

Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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Former Deutsche Bank AG Chief Executive Officer Josef Ackermann said he sees no legal basis for the company to force senior executives to return bonuses that have already been paid out, after a German newspaper reported it was weighing such a move.

“Paying back bonuses isn’t at all up for discussion,” Ackermann, 68, said at a conference organized by Sueddeutsche Zeitung in Berlin on Thursday. “The question is whether parts that were not paid out can be released or left in the bank.”