Germany's highest court on Friday overturned a decision to allow the extradition to Greece of the former head of Siemens' Greek branch, who is accused of corruption.
However, the Federal Constitutional Court made clear Friday that its ruling in the case of Michael Christoforakos, who faces money laundering and bribery charges in Greece, did not rule out his eventually being sent there.
It said prosecutors and a lower court must now reconsider whether to extradite Christoforakos, this time examining more thoroughly whether the alleged offenses fell under the statute of limitations under German law.
Christoforakos, who holds both Greek and German citizenship, was arrested in Bavaria in June on a Greek-issued European warrant. A Munich court last month approved his extradition, and he appealed to the federal court.
Christoforakos' lawyers welcomed the high court verdict and said they would now seek his release from custody.
The head of the Greek branch of Munich-based industrial conglomerate Siemens from 1996 to 2007, Christoforakos is one of seven former Siemens AG executives targeted in an investigation by Greek prosecutors. They are probing a 1990s contract the company won with OTE, the dominant national telecom operator which was then state-owned.
One former OTE executive has also been charged. All deny wrongdoing.
According to the charges against Christoforakos, former Siemens officials allegedly paid some euro57 million ($81 million) in kickbacks to secure the deal with OTE. Three suspects have been jailed in Greece pending trial.
In fighting Christoforakos' extradition, his attorneys argued that he is innocent and that the charges against him fell under the statute of limitations according to German law.
"The decision vindicates us in our interpretation of the law, which we have repeatedly notified authorities of from the beginning," Christoforakos lawyer Stefan Kursawe said in a statement.