Public prosecutors are investigating former chairman of Mannesmann, Mr Klaus Esser, on suspicion of a possible breach of trust connected with the takeover of the German telecommunications group by British firm Vodafone, they said yesterday. The prosecutors said in a statement that new information had come to light which could indicate that financial payments might have been promised to members of the Mannesmann board to persuade them to drop their resistance to the Vodafone takeover.

Mr Esser stepped down as chairman of Mannesmann last June and received a golden handshake of 60 million deutschmarks (#31 million).