A Bonn state court has approved a deal allowing former Chancellor I lelmut Kohl to pay a fine and avoid a criminal trial in his party's financial scandal, court spokeswoman Susanne Ulbert said yesterday.

Under the deal, an investigation into possible breach of trust charges will be closed as soon as Kohl pays a 300,000 mark (dlrs 140,000) fine, Kohl's lawyers already have said Kohl would accept the deal.

I he probe was launched by prosecutors in Bonn, the former German capital where Kohl governed for 16 years, in January 2000 alter Kohl admitted accepting illegal campaign donations when he was chancellor and leader of (he Christian Democratic Parly.

A parliament committee is still looking into allegations that decisions in Kohl's government were bought, which he has denied.