France to Extradite Top German Ex-Official
January 5, 2005Ludwig-Holger Pfahls, a former state secretary in the German ministry of defense who was arrested by the French police last year, will be handed over to Germany in the third week of January. His lawyer Volker Hoffmann has named Jan. 17 as the day of the handover. After French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffar signed an extradition treaty with Germany on Dec. 15, all legal aspects were cleared concerning the handover. For security purposes, no information has been disclosed in regard to his transportation. Pfahls has requested that he be taken to Germany by road. Pfahls is one of Germany's most wanted men and is accused of accepting 3.8 million deutsche marks (€1.9 million, $2.57 million) from German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber. In return, he is accused of using his position as a top defense ministry official to export 36 Fuchs armored vehicles from the German military to Saudi Arabia. Pfahls's case is scheduled to start in Augsburg this February