While the German banking industry is in a frenzy of speculation about consolidation or takeovers by foreign rivals, the country's largest bank is quietly preparing for the trial of its chief executive.

On January 21 next year, Joseph Ackermann, the Deutsche Bank chief, will appear in the dock of a Düsseldorf courtroom. He faces charges of breach of trust over the big bonuses he and other members of Mannesmann's remuneration committee approved when the company was taken over by Vodafone in 2000. The biggest beneficiary was Klaus Esser, the Mannesmann chief executive who is also among those facing charges.