German Charged Over Iraqi Arms Exports

A German businessman has been charged over the illegal export of 15 armored cars to Iraq and Afghanistan via Britain, German mass-circulation daily Bild reported on Monday. The 43-year-old man, who was not named by the paper, is accused of breaking German law by having the vehicles shipped to the British government in 2003. From Britain, the armored cars were sent on to Iraq and Afghanistan, Frank Tiemann, a spokesman for a court in the eastern city of Potsdam, told Bild. "The accused broke the law on exports because the deal was apparently done without the necessary authorization," Tiemann said. The accused argues that he would have lost the €1.8 million ($2.3 million) contract to a non-German firm if he had waited for the authorization, Bild said. "If our suspicions are confirmed, the accused faces a prison sentence of up to five years," the spokesman added. (AFP)