The trial has begun in Germany of weapons manufacturer Karlheinz Schreiber. The 73-year-old businessman is accused of evading more than 12 million euros in income tax and of involvement in a bribery scandal in the 1990s. Mr Schreiber, who possesses dual German-Canadian nationality, has denied all charges.

In the 1990s, Mr Schreiber played a key role in a bribery affair within the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. He made secret donations of one million marks (equivalent to 500,000 euros) to the party in return for permission from the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl to sell tanks to Saudi Arabia. The revelation of the bribes forced Mr Kohl to resign and damaged the career of Kohl's successor, Wolfgang Schaeuble. In 2002, Mr Schaeuble was forced out as CDU leader after admitting he had taken money from Schreiber.

Mr Schreiber, who has been held in custody since he was extradited from Canada in August, faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. The trial is expected to last until mid-May.