Kohl to publish scandal years diary

Helmut Kohl: Still under investigation

BERLIN, Germany -- Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl will publish a diary of the past two years in which his political reputation was shattered by financial scandal.

The diary covers the period between his election loss to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in September 1998 and the 10th anniversary of Germany reunification in October 2000, his office said on Friday.

"It will make clear what motives drove Helmut Kohl, which connections and loyalties were important to him and what experiences left their imprint on him," the Munich-based Droemer Verlag said in a statement.

Kohl admitted a year ago that he accepted $1 million in illegal campaign contributions while in office. He was chancellor from 1982 to 1998.

He remains under criminal investigation and continues to refuse to name his donors.

The book, "Helmut Kohl: My Diary 1998-2000," will be published on November 27 with a first print run of 100,000.

The publishers declined to say how much Kohl was earning for the work, while his office refused to say what the former chancellor would do with the money.

Kohl has given the Christian Democrats 700,000 marks ($307,600) of his own money and raised more than seven million marks ($3.075 million) to help the party pay fines imposed as a result of the scandal.

Kohl remains a member of the German parliament but has kept a low profile in the past year. He was excluded from the ceremony in October marking the 10th anniversary of Germany unification in 1990, the highpoint of his time in office.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Party politics overshadows unification anniversary
October 1, 2000
Defiant Kohl tells German inquiry panel bribes 'didn't happen'
June 29, 2000

Christian Democratic Union (Germany)

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