German prosecutors charge ex-Siemens manager

German prosecutors have charged a former top-ranking Siemens AG manager with breach of trust for his alleged role in a widespread corruption scandal at the Munich-based industrial conglomerate, an official said Saturday.

Charges had been brought against the ex-head of finance for Siemens' communications branch, Michael Kutschenreuter, said Anton Winkler, a spokesman for Munich prosecutors.

Two other former employees in the branch have also been charged with assisting breach of trust, Winkler said. He did not identify them.

Siemens, which makes everything from trains to light bulbs, was first rocked by claims of corruption in 2006. Evidence began to surface in 2007 and the company has since acknowledged dubious payments to secure business around the world of up to euro1.3 billion ($1.82 billion).

Siemens said in December it had spent some euro2.5 billion in total in dealing with the corruption scandal.