A Clifford Chance (CC) partner has been cleared of any wrong-doing in a Deutsche Bank shredding scandal that dates back to 2003.

CC Frankfurt partner Kersten Schenck has been cleared after a key document was illegally shredded following a Deutsche Bank annual general meeting (AGM) in 2003.

Criminal charges were brought against Schenck by public prosecutors after the original draft of the minutes from the AGM was destroyed and an amended copy was submitted.

But the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court ruled last Thursday (29 November) that Schenck had acted with absolute propriety in taking the minutes. Schenck said it is not known who had shredded the document.

The court found that Schenck had complied with his notarial duties and responsibilities and there was no evidence that any criminal actions had been committed.

The magic circle law firm has publicly backed Schenck throughout and the decision is not appealable.

When the accusations were made in January this year, CC insiders told Legal Week that the amendments made to the document were only spelling corrections, while the firm also issued a statement supporting its partner.

The episode was initially reported to have caused outrage among some of the bank's minority shareholders, who claimed that the changes may have been made to benefit the bank.

Rival partners have said the case is likely to influence how notaries deal with their original drafts.

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