Ex-German Deputy Defense Minister, Wanted Since 1999, Arrested

[Kellanved]

July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Former German deputy defense minister Holger Pfahls, sought for questioning by police since 1999 over allegations of accepting bribes on a sale of 36 tanks to Saudi Arabia, has been arrested in France.

French police apprehended Pfahls outside his Paris apartment, the office of the prosecutor in Augsburg, Germany, said in a statement e-mailed to news organizations.

``For years, Federal Crime Office experts have followed up every possible lead to make possible the arrest of this internationally wanted person, who is suspected of corruption and tax fraud,'' Interior Minister Otto Schily said in a statement faxed to news organizations. ``The hard work has now paid off.''

...
Karlheinz Schreiber was the center of Germany's party funding scandal in 2000, which centered on illegal, anonymous donations to the opposition Christian Democratic Union during former Chancellor Helmut Kohl's term as head of government. Schreiber now lives in Canada where he is fighting his extradition to Germany.


http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=aL4UyMcQ9a8Q&refer=germany

[nixonwasbetterthanW]

1. Schily could serve the papers on Cheney

After all, we've got a similar situation: high government official is tied to bribery, though in this case it's via his "former" private employer.

Somewhat off topic, I'm wondering what's ever happened with Thomas White, formerly of Enron and the Army secretariat.

[zx22778a]

2. Herr Schreiber seems to get around.

Do a google on Schreiber and Mulroney for Canada's own Airbus scandal.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=Schreiber+mulroney&ie=UTF8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

Sorry, I tried to do it for you but it looks like you may need to do a bit of cut and pasting.

[Kellanved]

4. That's for sure

His name appears in the reports about almost all major German bribing scandals, and a fair number of the Canadian and French ones.

Strauss, Kohl, Pfahls : Name any corrupt German politician, Schreiber is almost certainly his first-name pal. In most cases as useful helper, not mastermind.


It is not just Airbus planes; he also sold Tanks (Google "Bear-Head") to the Canadian army and helicopters to the Coast Guard ("MBB").


The funny situation is: Germany wants Schreiber from Canada; Canada wants several of his buddies from Germany - yet neither side seems willing to barter ...

[geek tragedy]

3. Michael Moore could do a documentary on this called

"Farfegnugen 9/11."