The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT   Vodafone CEO
faces Mannesmann merger fraud probe  German authorities not
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to get more email to the inbox  Chris Gent, CEO of Vodafone, and
a number of high-ranking executives in Vodafone and Mannesmann
(the German company bought out by Voadfone in November 1999) are
under investigation by the German authorities for fraud.  It is
alleged that the huge bonuses paid to the execs on completion of
the merger were part of a sweetener to let it go through
(Dusseldorf's public prosecutor has already used the word
'bribes'). The facts of the situation would certainly lend
credence to that theory.  Vodafone subtly leaked its plans to
buy Mannesmann to the press in July 1999 (all the analysts, of
course, claimed it was their nous). Then it made a formal £64
billion offer on 15 November. Mannesmann's value at the time was
£59 billion.  Mannesmann, and in particular its CEO, Klaus
Esser, was extremely dismissive o