Swiss Authorities Agree To Release Kohl Evidence

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

18 July 2001

The Swiss authorities announced this week that they would be releasing documents relating to allegations of money laundering, corruption, and fraud against former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to German investigators. The evidence relates to accusations that the French oil company, Elf Aquitaine, paid approximately DM75 million (US$34 million) in bribes to German officials and politicians in 1992. The bribes are thought to have been paid as part of a deal to purchase Leuna, an East German oil refinery, although there are several other deals under investigation.

Elf Aquitaine - now part of TotalFinaElf - seems to be a permanent fixture in the headlines at the moment; earlier this month it was announced that Swiss bank accounts containing more than SFr800 million (US$445 million) had been frozen in connection with an investigation into the company by the French authorities.

The Social Democrat party on Monday called for the documents to be submitted to an all-party parliamentary committee investigating the 'slush fund' scandal involving Mr Kohl and several other prominent Christian Democrats. Although the former Chancellor has denied all wrongdoing, former senior Elf officials have admitted that the DM75 million paid to the then government did include bribes.

German investigators are overjoyed at the news that the 60 files compiled by the Swiss authorities will soon be winging their way to the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. Friedhelm Julius Beucher, an SPD member of the investigative committee called the move 'a huge step' in the investigation. 'Finally we will have our hands on details of the routes the money flowed, and of who received it,' he said.

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