Reports in the German media indicate that Niels Stolberg has launched an appeal against the three-and-a-half year jail sentence handed to him by the Bremen District Court last week.

The appeal, which will be heard by Germany's Federal Court of Justice, will mean that the long-running fraud case which centred on the role of Stolberg and three co-accused in the demise of Beluga Shipping will now rumble on.

Getting to last week's verdict had already taken over two years and German media, as well as the lawyer who represents Stolberg, have suggested that the appeal process could run for a long time yet.

The case becomes even more complicated with the news that Bremen state prosecutors have also appealed against the sentence, having demanded a sentence of four-and-a-half years.

Topics