BERLIN, September 24 (RAPSI) – German prosecutors in Munich have charged co-chief executive of Deutsche Bank Jurgen Fitschen and four other former board members including Josef Ackermann, Rolf Breuer and Clemens Borsig, with attempted fraud, the German media reported on Tuesday.

The charges were brought after German prosecutors completed their investigation into whether Deutsche Bank executives gave misleading evidence in 2011 during litigation with the heirs of the late media tycoon Leo Kirch.

The heirs of Mr. Kirch filed for compensation after the bankruptcy of the Kirch Group, which they blamed on the careless statements. The bank’s top executives have pleaded not guilty.

Under the German legal system, the judge will now decide whether the charges are sufficient to conduct a trial.

The litigation over the Kirch Group bankruptcy began nearly 12 years ago, after the media concern, which had amassed over 7 billion euros in debt, filed for bankruptcy in April 2002. It was the largest bankruptcy in Germany since WWII.

Mr. Kirch sued Deutsche Bank, claiming that the group’s bankruptcy was provoked by a statement of the bank’s former chief executive, Rolf Breuer, who suggested during a television interview that the media group was having trouble accessing funding.

His relatives took over the case after Leo Kirch died in July 2011. Deutsche Bank agreed to pay them more than 775 million euros (about $1.06 billion at the time) in a settlement in February.