Siemens ex-CEO denies bribery allegations -paper

FRANKFURT, April 19 (Reuters) - Heinrich von Pierer, the former chief executive of Siemens (SIEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), the German engineering group under investigation for bribery, has told a German newspaper that allegations he arranged bribes are untrue.

"These accusations are not true," von Pierer told the Welt am Sonntag in a story published on Sunday.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Saturday that a former Siemens manager had accused Von Pierer of asking him and others to arrange bribes.

The paper also reported that Munich's prosecutor's office was talking to von Pierer but no formal investigation was underway.

Von Pierer told the Welt am Sonntag that defending himself against allegations publicly was limited due to the current talks with prosecutors.

Munich-based Siemens is being investigated worldwide on corruption allegations.

In the United States, the SEC and the Department of Justice is investigating whether employees of Siemens paid hundreds of millions of euros in bribes for telecommunications and other contracts. It could face high fines in the United States or even be banned from public contracts there.

The scandal has already cost the 160-year-old company 1.6 billion euros ($2.53 billion). It also led to the resignation of von Pierer and former Siemens Chairman Klaus Kleinfeld.

Neither has been formally accused of wrongdoing. (Reporting by Rajiv Sekhri; Editing by Quentin Bryar)