BERLIN, April 12 – RAPSI. The Hanover Prosecutor’s Office has charged former German President Christian Wulff with accepting a bribe, Hans-Juergen Lendeckel, a spokesperson for the office, told RIA Novosti over the phone on Friday.

Wulff stepped down in February 2012 over allegations of abuse of office. A probe was launched against him under several cases, although the investigations have by and large ceased.

However, the investigation is continuing in one case involving film producer David Groenewold. A friend of Wulff’s, Groenewold allegedly paid for his hotel expenses in exchange for support for his business projects.

Groenewold paid €510 for Wulff and his wife to stay at a hotel, as well as €209.4 euros for their dinner and other expenses during the Munich Oktoberfest in 2008, when Wulff was state premier of Lower Saxony. The film producer was charged with paying a bribe.

The office has recently asked Groenewold and Wulff to pay €30,000 and €20,000, respectively, to suspend the legal proceedings. Such an opportunity is implied by German law. According to experts, if the suspects agree to pay, this will be an indirect confession of their guilt, although they will avoid legal prosecution.