Court disallows bid to invite Snowden to testify in Berlin

Germany's high court in Karlsruhe threw out a bid by the opposite Left and Green parties on Friday to force the federal government to allow whistleblower Edward Snowden to come to Berlin to answer a parliamentary committee's questions regarding the NSA's activities in Germany.

The opposition parties wanted the panel to meet with Snowden in person. But, Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling grand coalition had voiced concern over potential damage such a meeting would do to relations with Washington.

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court based in Karlsruhe ruled that the suit filed by the Greens and the Left party or Linke was legally inadmissible because it was an administrative issue that should be decided before another top court, Germany's BHG Federal Court of Justice.

Earlier this year, inquiry panel chairman Patrick Sensburg of Merkel's Christian Democrats had suggested interviewing Snowden via video from Moscow, where he has temporary asylum.

Snowden's lawyer said at the time that the former NSA contractor would only speak to the Bundestag parliamentary committee if allowed to do so in Germany.

'No proof' of eavesdropping

Snowden's name was also heard around Karlsruhe earlier this week, when Germany's top public prosecutor, Harald Range, said he had no proof that the NSA had actually spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone.

Range's investigation, which was launched in June, is still ongoing, but he said on Wednesday, "there is no proof at the moment which could lead to charges that Chancellor Merkel's phone connection data was collected or her calls tapped."

The revelations made in documents leaked by Snowden caused outrage last year in Germany, particularly the allegation that the NSA had bugged Merkel's previous phone. Chancellor Merkel called it an unacceptable breach of trust between the two allies.

Earlier this year Berlin attempted to arrange a "no-spy" agreement with the US, but was unsuccessful.

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Court disallows bid to invite Snowden to testify in Berlin