The only former minister who has admitted so far to accepting money from Siemens Hellas will face further questioning as part of a judicial investigation after a council of judges decided on Friday that the charges against him are not subject to the statute of limitations.

The judges ruled that former transport minister Tasos Mantelis should face Siemens bribery charges.

The Former Transport Minister in the previous PASOK government appeared before a council of appeals court judges earlier this week to confirm that he accepted at least 100,000 euros from Siemens in 1998. However, he insisted that the payment was an election campaign donation and not a bribe.

Mantelis argued he had not broken any laws and that, even if there was a case to answer, the five-year statute of limitations for ministers would apply.

But in a ruling made public on Friday the judges said that the charges of bribery and money laundering against Mantelis still stand.

The two prosecutors investigating the Siemens cash-for-contracts affair will invite Mantelis to answer more questions about his alleged involvement in the process.

The former minister first made his admission about receiving money from Siemens before a parliamentary committee that is also probing the scandal.

His lawyer, Yiannis Ireotis, said the former minister has no case to answer. “There is no evidence [that he was bribed]. The charge cannot stand. According to the law, donations are not illegal.”