German insurance manager gets prison term

BOCHUM - German insurance manager Klaus Dieter Schweickert has beensentenced to six years imprisonment for embezzlement, fraud and taxevasion. 64-year-old Dr Schweickert made a full confession to theBochum court, agreeing that he accepted Dm3.9m of bribes inconnection with construction projects. Dr Schweickert used to bechief executive of Bayerische Beamten Versicherung (BBV), Munich, andwas arrested last year in Austria. The charges centred on the sale ofgovernment property to insurers and property funds in which DrSchweickert was active. His company has meanwhile sacked him and isdemanding repayment of the funds.