The Mannesmann trial is considered the most spectacular economic criminal proceeding in Germany. The author uses the indictment of the former supervisory board members for breach of trust as an opportunity to critically examine the court decisions that have been made in this context, as well as the statements in corporate and criminal law literature. She denies any breach of duty under corporate law. Furthermore, she clarifies that a civil law norm, which is controversial in its interpretation, cannot serve as a basis for a breach of trust. In addition, she highlights the specific issues of breach of trust relevant to supervisory board members. Here, she particularly focuses on the possibility of obtaining consent from the general meeting, the culpability in special offenses, and the causality in committee decisions. The insights gained in this regard serve as a basis for discussing the relevance of breach of trust concerning individual competencies of the supervisory board.