BERLIN -- A slush fund scandal enveloping former Chancellor Helmut Kohl became the focus Monday of an official investigation that could result in criminal charges against one of Europe's leading statesmen.
A spokesman for the state justice ministry in Bonn said prosecutors would examine whether Kohl, who has admitted soliciting up to $1 million in improper contributions for his Christian Democratic party, should be charged with breach of trust.The investigation was opened Monday after Friday's deadline for parliament to block it passed with no action taken, spokesman Bernd Koenig said.
Kohl, who lost the chancellery in 1998 to a coalition of Social Democrats and Greens, remains a member of parliament, which would have to lift his immunity from prosecution before an actual indictment could be filed.
Koenig declined to elaborate on the investigation or estimate how long it would last. The charge of breach of trust can result in a fine, up to five years in jail, or both.
Kohl has admitted accepting off-the-books contributions in the 1990s and said the money was used to support his Christian Democrats in the formerly communist eastern states after unification.
He has refused, however, to say where the money came from, citing personal promises made to the donors. His silence has fueled speculation about possible political favors granted in exchange for the donations -- charges Kohl has vehemently denied.
Leaders of his own party, which has suffered in opinion polls since the scandal surfaced a couple months ago, have called on their former boss to be more forthcoming.
The Christian Democrats also face potential fines of up to $3.7 million for violating party financing rules -- which legal experts say could be the basis for a breach of trust charge against Kohl.