Gent set to testify in Mannesmann trial

Sir Christopher Gent, the chief executive of the mobile phone operator Vodafone, could get called as a witness in a trial into alleged illegal payments made to six executives at Germany's Mannesmann.

The trial of those executives, including the former head of Mannesmann, Klaus Esser, is scheduled to begin in Düsseldorf on 17 April. Sir Christopher is one of 61 witnesses that could be called on to testify.

German prosecutors spent the best part of two years investigating the payments made to certain executives at Mannesmann after Vodafone bought the company in 2000. In particular, they were looking into whether those payments were linked to the decision by the Mannesmann executives to give up their opposition to the Vodafone bid.

The German prosecutors confirmed last week that they had charged six people who, if found guilty, could be jailed for up to two years. The other five men are said to include Josef Ackermann, the chief executive of Deutsche Bank, Klaus Zwickel, the head of the influential German industrial union IG Metall, Dietmar Droste, the former Mannesmann personnel chief, Joachim Funk, the ex-supervisory board head, and Juergen Ladberg, the former works council chief.

Mr Esser has confirmed he has been charged, but said last week: "The suit is unfounded, the truth is simple: I conducted myself properly in the takeover battle. There isn't the slightest suspicion for any kind of unlawful negotiation from me."

While the prosecutors also originally investigated Sir Christopher, charges were never brought against him. Vodafone issued a statement protesting Sir Christopher's innocence last week, after reports erroneously suggested he might still be under investigation. "Vodafone would like to point out that Sir Christopher's solicitor in Germany has received a formal letter from the Düsseldorf State Prosecutor's Office, dated 11 February 2003, stating that proceedings against Sir Christopher had been dropped," it said. A spokesman for Vodafone declined to comment on the matter yesterday.

The German prosecutors had originally been investigating seven Mannesmann executives and another five executives, including Sir Christopher.