Munich bribe suspect freed on bail
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -- 1860 Munich president Karl-Heinz Wildmoser, suspected of bribery related to the construction of the new stadium, was released from prison on bail on Friday.
State prosecutors said in a statement they had agreed to release the Bundesliga club chief against the payment of an undisclosed amount.
Wildmoser, his son and two others were arrested on suspicion they took bribes from a company that won the bid to build Munich's 2006 World Cup stadium.
The son, also named Karl-Heinz, remained in custody and was dismissed as manager of the stadium's holding company on Friday.
1860 and city rivals Bayern Munich, who both play their home games at the Olympic stadium, are to share the new ground known as the Allianz Arena.
The costs of construction for the showcase stadium are estimated at 280 million euros ($342.3m).
Both clubs said in a statement on Friday that Wildmoser's son no longer held any position in the holding company although a decision on his replacement had yet to be made.
Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said on Thursday that the club could finance the works even without the help of TSV 1860, which now faces an uncertain future.
The World Cup-winning captain and coach, who is also the chairman of the local organizing committee for the 2006 World Cup, said the construction would continue as planned.
The four arrested on Tuesday are suspected of receiving a 2.8 million euro bribe from Austrian construction company Alpine during the bidding process for the contract, prosecutors said.
Alpine denied exerting any improper influence and said it was convinced investigations would show no commissions had been paid to the project managers or their representatives.
The 66,000-seat stadium being built in a Munich suburb will replace the Olympic stadium, which was built for the 1972 Summer Games and hosted the final of the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.
The Allianz Arena will stage several World Cup matches, including the opening game, although the final will be played in Berlin.
