Germany's top court has thrown out a Government bid to ban a far-right party, declaring that evidence from paid informants was tainted.
The Government and both Houses of Parliament had tried for two years to ban the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands (NPD), comparing it to the Nazis and accusing it of incitingracial hatred after a wave of attacks on foreigners in 2000.
However, the constitutional court suspended proceedings a year ago after it emerged the Government's case included testimony and speeches from paid informants. The NPD said the Government had told the informants to incite racial hatred and recruit violent neo-Nazis to strengthen its case.
In the face of defeat the Government offered to present new arguments, but on Tuesday presiding judge Winfried Hassemer said the court had refused to restart the case and threw it out.
