Germany's top banker on trial over giant bonuses

Germany’s most powerful banker lashed out against the country’s justice system today as he went on trial on charges he improperly approved executive bonuses and retirement packages worth millions in a high-profile telecoms takeover.

The landmark case against Deutsche Bank chief executive Josef Ackermann and five other former Mannesmann board members and executives highlights a clash between supporters of Anglo-American style corporate practices and Germany’s more egalitarian business tradition.