Berlin - The former German chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, has stopped the publication of files kept on him by the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, writes Derek Scally.
Berlin's constitutional court ruled yesterday that the files, containing transcripts of hundreds of telephone conversations, should remain sealed.
Ms Marianne Birthler, the head of the foundation responsible for the Stasi files, argued that Dr Kohl's file was covered by legislation he signed into law a decade ago, allowing the release of files of "persons of historical importance".
Lawyers for Dr Kohl argued that the files should not be released as they consisted of "spy-gathered documents . . . put together as a result of serious violations of human dignity through criminal activity".