The collapse of the German investigation into the sale of four corvette warships to South Africa has left unanswered questions about the role of Tony Georgiadis, the controversial middleman whose company was paid more than $22-million in commission on the deal.

German investigators said they could find no evidence supporting allegations that the money paid by lead contractor ThyssenKrupp to Georgiadis's Liberian-registered company, Mallar Inc, found its way to South African officials or politicians.

The investigation was hampered by failures in obtaining information from South Africa ­- and from Switzerland, where Mallar's bank accounts were held.

However, the Mail & Guardian has established that a company with close family connections to Georgiadis did pay "consulting fees" to Jürgen Koopmann, a former Thyssen executive who played a leading role in the South African deal.

In a confidential plea agreement, Koopmann was convicted and given a suspended sentence for failing to declare the fees, which he received between 2001 and 2003.

Koopmann had retired by that stage, but was still being paid a retainer by Thyssen and was obliged to declare any other income in terms of his contract.

The South African deal was signed in 1999 and Georgiadis was paid about $22-million by Thyssen in instalments between 2000 and 2001.

The payments to Koopmann were made by a company at the behest of Georgiadis's former father-in-law, George Lanaras.

Lanaras's daughter Elita married Tony Georgiadis in 1971, but divorced him in 1998 to marry former South African president FW de Klerk.

With acknowledgements to Sam Sole, Stefaans Brummer and Mail and Guardian.