THE independence of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) came under renewed scrutiny today after it received a €1 million (£850,000) donation from Germany. 

The bumper payment, believed to be the biggest single voluntary contribution in the chemical watchdog’s history, was formalised in a ceremony with the newly reappointed director-general Fernando Arias.

Germany’s permanent representative to the OPCW, Gudrun Ligner, said that the cash would boost the training of inspectors and enable investigations and technical visits.