Former German arms-industry lobbyist with ties to Kohl administration convicted

A former arms-industry lobbyist involved in a corruption scandal linked to former Germany Chancellor Helmut Kohl has been convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

The dpa news agency reported Thursday that Karlheinz Schreiber was found guilty in Augsburg state court.

Schreiber, a Canadian-German dual national, was arrested in Canada in 1999 and extradited to Germany where he was convicted in 2010 but won a retrial on appeal.

Prosecutors say he didn't declare money he received as kickbacks for the sale of helicopters to Canada's coast guard, tanks to Saudi Arabia and other arms deals.

Allegations the 79-year-old gave a cash donation to the former treasurer of Kohl's party triggered a scandal that deepened with Kohl's 1999 admission he accepted off-the-book donations himself.