German ex-president on trial for corruption

Former German President Christian Wulff has gone on trial over alleged charges of corruption for accepting favors when he was a state premier.

Wulff arrived in a court in Hanover on Thursday to answer charges that he allowed film producer David Groenewold to pay hotel bills in Munich during the Oktoberfest beer festival in 2008 while he was premier of Lower Saxony.

Arriving for his trial, Wulff told reporters that it “is not an easy day for me,” but said “I’m quite confident that I’ll be able to clear away the last remaining charges against me.”

Wulff, 54, once an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, denied all the allegations, and told the court the “personal damage to me and my family will last, probably for the rest of my life.”

The former president criticized state prosecutors for a case he called a “farce,” adding, “I never accepted any deal. I’m here because I want justice to be done.”

The trial, presided over by three judges but no jury, is expected to last until April next year. If convicted, Wulff faces up to three years in jail or a fine.

Wulff resigned in February 2012, after prosecutors asked parliament to lift his immunity since they suspected him of accepting undue privileges.

After Wulff resigned, former East German anti-Communist dissident and rights activist Joachim Gauck was elected president.