Government Spokesman Acquitted

A Berlin court threw out a case raised by a photographer against Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's spokesman, Bela Anda, for losing photos of the chancellor. The journalist charged Anda with a breach of his official duties and demanded €10,000 ($12,960) in damages. The court ruled that Anda was doing the journalist a favor and did not violate his official duties.The case involved photos of Schröder on a disc taken by the journalist. Anda had offered to bring it back to Germany after a Schröder visit to the US two years ago but the disc never reappeared. According to press reports, the pictures of Schröder with US President George W. Bush were apparently "unfavorable."