Former supermodel Nadja Auermann in court on charges of tax evasion
Former supermodel Nadja Auermann has appeared in court in Germany on charges of tax evasion.
The model, 40, allegedly did not pay income tax despite living primarily in Germany from 1999 to 2002.
During the three-year period, she was officially living in Monaco but prosecutors claim she spent more time in Berlin.
Auermann and her ex-husband, soap actor Wolfram Grandezka, who is also on trial, allegedly owe 270,000 euros in unpaid tax.
German model Nadja Auermann arriving in court in Berlin today
Ms Auermann and her ex-husband Wolfram Grandezka in court
Their trial in Berlin is expected to last three days. The courtroom was packed with journalists and paparazzi as it began.
Auermann, said to have been wearing flat shoes, black leggings and a white shirt, insisted she was not guilty and said she would fight the charges.
She told the court she had not moved to Germany until 2002 and so did not owe the tax there.
The model apparently broke down when asked why she decided to move that year. Her lawyer said it was because she wanted to be with her dying mother.
Ms Auermann next to her lawyer Robert Unger at the district court
The Berlin courtroom was packed with press and paparazzi
Auermann, who was born in Berlin, was spotted in a cafe in 1990 when she was 19 years old.
She made it into the Guiness Book of Records in 1997 and 1999 as the model with the longest legs, at 44 inches.
The German modelled for a raft of top designer names including Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Prada.
In 1992, she also featured in George Michael's Too Funky video and has most recently appeared in German language films.
She married Grandezka in 1999. They had a son Nicolas that year but later split up. Auermann also had a daughter, Cosima, with Olaf Bjorn in 1997.
The model with Naomi Campbell at the De Grisogono Party in Cannes on Tuesday
Nadja Auermann in the Valentino show during Paris fashion week
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