Criminal prosecution against Kohl closed

Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl will agree to pay a DM300,000 ($140,000) fine - and escape criminal prosecution - as part of a deal recommended by prosecutors to close a criminal inquiry into his role in a party financing scandal, his lawyer is quoted by Associated Press as saying. Prosecutors in Bonn, the former West German capital where Mr. Kohl governed for 16 years, have examined possible breach of trust charges since January 2000, after Kohl admitted accepting illegal campaign donations while serving as chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Party. The former chancellor remains under parliamentary investigation, and probes by state prosecutors into the campaign finance scandal still could stain Mr. Kohl's legacy as the statesman who reunited Germany in 1990. Mr. Kohl's refusal to identify the source of the funds has led to speculation that there are actually no donors, but that the money stemmed from bribes or money laundering - charges Mr. Kohl denies.