A Hamburg Court of Appeals issued an injunction against the German magazine "Der Spiegel", ruling in favour of a petition filed by former defence minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos in response to a report alleging possible bribes by the German company Ferrostaal in the purchase of four German submarines by Greece.
Magazine representatives confirmed to ANA-MPA that an injunction was served earlier in the week and refused to make any comments, stressing that the case is still in progress. The injunction will be effective until the case is tried in court. The magazine is forbidden to mention Tsohatzopoulos' name and has the obligation to publish a response prepared by him as regards earlier reports on the submarine case.
A "Der Spiegel" report on February 2 cited testimonies available to the Munich prosecutor's office investigating roughly 50 Ferrostaal executives who face charges for bribery, breach of faith and for attempting to suppress evidence on illegal activities and kickbacks relating to contract allocation.
Tsohatzopoulos' office on Friday issued a statement referring to the Hamburg court's decision in favour of his injunction petition, underlining that "as regards the sale of German submarines to Greece" he "never introduced anybody to anyone".
by G. Pappas
source: ANA
