PARIS, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - Here is a chronology of a seven-year probe into alleged kickbacks paid for the multi-billion-dollar sale of French warships to Taiwan in 1991, which French prosecutors Wednesday said should be dismissed without trial after failing to obtain evidence.

- August: French firm Thomson-CSF (now known as Thales) signs a contract with Taiwan to sell six high-tech frigates for 2.8 billion dollars after convincing the Naval Construction Directorate (DCN) to talk Taiwanese admirals out of a nearly-completed contract with Hyundai of Korea.

The French foreign ministry, which had earlier opposed the deal on the ground that it would upset China, gives its thumbs up. Meanwhile, Alfred Sirven -- a right-hand man of Loik Le Floch-Prigent, then head of the state oil firm Elf, offers his services to help placate Beijing.

- December: The alleged corruption scandal erupts in Taiwan with the death of a navy captain, Yin Chin-feng, who was apparently about to spill the beans on the deal. Since then 13 military officials and 15 arms dealers have been arrested in Taiwan and a government enquiry launched.

- A preliminary trial opens in France into alleged fraud costing Thomson an estimated 150 million francs. The firm denies any intervention by the so-called 'Elf network' led by Elf Acquitaine former number two Sirven, who was at the heart of a lavish slush fund scandal. The investigation targets Sirven, Le Floch-Prigent and Christine Deviers-Joncourt, the mistress of former foreign minister Roland Dumas, and Dumas himself.

- Taiwan begins moves to seek damages of nearly one billion euros from France at an international court of arbitration and asks the Swiss government to hand over 520 million dollars frozen in the account of Taiwanese arms dealer, Andrew Wang, the main suspect in the case. Wang is convicted on September 28, 2006.

- France launches a second probe in June but investigators are repeatedly denied access by the government to top-secret defence files at the heart of the case.

- May-June: Luxembourg-based Clearstream Banking SA comes under suspicion for money laundering and accused of maintaining secret accounts for several French political figures, industrial leaders, and secret service members, which were supposedly used to transfer kickbacks.

The Taiwan frigates affair is also at the origin of a political dirty tricks scandal, known as the Clearstream affair, in which top figures including French President Nicolas Sarkozy -- then interior minister -- were wrongly accused of receiving kickbacks from the sale.

- September 9: Taiwan asks Switzerland to return 520 million dollars. Only a part of the money is handed over.

- October 4: For the fourth time in five years, the military's intelligence wing opposes an enquiry in France.

- October 12: The French judges announce an end to the investigation.

- August 6: The office of state prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin confirms a report in Le Figaro newspaper saying he had requested the case, France's biggest corruption probe in 50 years, to be dismissed for lack of evidence.