France extradites wanted German

Holger Pfahls went on the run in 1999

France has extradited a former German minister suspected of corruption who has been on the run for five years.

Holger Pfahls, a deputy defence secretary in Helmut Kohl's government, is accused of taking a bribe of about 2m euros (£1.3m) over a weapons deal.

The 61-year-old was arrested outside his home in Paris on an international arrest warrant in July.

He was handed over to Germany at the border near Forbach on Thursday, officials said.

Mr Pfahls is said to have accepted the bribe from German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.

Investigators say he then used his position as a senior defence ministry official to ensure 36 Fuchs armoured vehicles were transferred from the German military to Saudi Arabia.

The money allegedly helped fund the then governing Christian Democrats (CDU) of Chancellor Kohl, and their allies the Christian Social Union (CSU), for whom Mr Pfahls had previously worked.

'The Phantom'

The BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says Mr Pfahls' trial may also shed light on the party financing scandal that tarnished Mr Kohl's reputation.

Mr Kohl admitted the donations were made but refused to name the sources. Our correspondent says Mr Pfahls may know their identities and be prepared to reveal them.

Mr Pfahls was nicknamed "The Phantom" by the German media.

He disappeared without trace in the Far East in 1999 and was on the run for five years before being apprehended.

Our correspondent says it is an odd fate for a man who was head of German counter-intelligence before becoming state secretary for armaments at the defence ministry.