Kohl probe to question Sirven before extradition to France

Alfred Sirven, wanted in connection with the Elf corruption affair rocking France, is prepared to give evidence to the probe, said his lawyer in an ARD television interview. Initially justice officials had said Sirven was not willing to testify. The head of the committee investigating illegal donations to Kohl's Christian Democrats (CDU), Volker Neumann, said this would be the last chance to question the 74-year-old Sirven who will be extradited to France later Tuesday. Members of the Bundestag committee were flying to Frankfurt to take his testimony.

Sirven arrived in Germany last week en route to Paris after being arrested in the Philippines following four years on the run. German airport police, however, declined to allow Sirven be transferred to France aboard a waiting French military jet. Neuman, a member of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD), failed to get justice officials to delay sending Sirven to France until later this week. Kohl has admitted taking 2.1 million marks (one million dollars) in secret cash donations but refuses to say who gave him the money. The CDU has admitted to about 50 million marks in illicit funds.

There have been repeated media allegations that the formerly French state-owned Elf concern paid millions of dollars to Kohl's 1994 reelection campaign in which he beat the SPD. Schroeder defeated Kohl in 1998. The money was reportedly given as kickbacks linked to the sale of eastern Germany's Leuna oil refinery and the valuable Minol chain of petrol stations to Elf-Aquitaine. British Petroleum had also been competing to buy the Minol stations. It is alleged that in connection with the Leuna/Minol sale some 256 million francs (37 million dollars) in kickbacks were paid. Kohl has firmly denied accusations that any funds were paid to the CDU from Elf.

(la/dpa)