It is 16 years since the notorious and hated Stasi, the secret service apparatus of the communist former East Germany, was disbanded as democracy once more embraced the eastern regions of a divided country. Time enough for a nation wounded and scarred by the actions of an oppressive agency which thrived on the fear of neighbor watching neighbor to heal. Or one would think.

In fact, the shadow of the Stasi continues to stretch and darken the land with what appears to be a gradual yet constant stream of allegations and scandals linked to prominent Germans and their supposed dealings with the DDR's secret service.

The year is barely two months old and the list of the great and good who could have potentially been not so great and bad includes popular socialist politician Gregor Gysi, the Olympic ice skating coach Ingo Steuer and public broadcaster ARD's sports journalist Hagen Bossdorf.

Gysi, one time leader of the former communist PDS party and now joint leader of the renamed left wing alliance Left Party's parliamentary group, finds himself the subject of on-going allegations that he once worked for the secret police. These claims are nothing new. Gysi has successfully defended himself against such claims in court on numerous occasions.

Gysi vows to fight loosening laws on public access