The German
weapons firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has confirmed that its main Munich office
has been searched. Munich's public prosecutions office says its probe centers
on tax evasion allegations.
Deutsche Welle, 15 Nov. 2014
Several
German media outlets reported on Saturday that prosecutors had conducted
searches of both Krauss-Maffei Wegmann's Munich (KMW) premises and the homes of
accused individuals on Thursday at the request of Greek state prosecutors.
According
to the Munich-based national newspaper Süddeutsche and two German public
broadcasters, NDR and WDR, the searches related to KMK sales of Leopard-2 tanks
and PzH Howitzers artillery vehicles to Greece about 10 years ago.
The sales
were worth more than 1.7 billion euros ($2.1 billion).
Tax evasion
or bribery, money laundering?
The three
outlets said the allegations centered on suspected bribery and money
laundering. Athens prosecutors were looking into whether Greek procurement and
military officials had been bribed by KMW.
Greek media
have said that Greek prosecutors want to press charges against 13 persons,
mostly former employees of German armaments firms.
Files
seized from KMW
Krauss-Maffei
spokesman Kurt Braatz said on Saturday that Munich prosecutors had taken
document files during Thursday's searches.
Workers assemble a motorized PzH Howitzer |
"There
is no investigation into corruption," Braatz said, reiterating past
denials by KMW. He added that time limits for the prosecution of such
allegations had expired.
KMW tax
returns signed in 2004 and 2005 had been checked by auditors and submitted to
prosecutors before they opened the current probe, Braatz said.
"We
regard the continuation and outcome of the investigations in a relaxed
manner," he added.
Prosecutors
tight-lipped
Senior
prosecutor Thomas Steinkraus-Koch confirmed that Thursday's searches had taken
place but declined to give further details, citing tax confidentiality rules.
Scrutiny
has grown in recent years on German arms exports.
Braatz said
KMW sold 1.7 billion euros ($2.1 billion) worth of Leopard-2 tanks to Greece in
2003.
The
Süddeutsche said KMW's Howitzer sale to Greece took place in 2000 and was worth
about 190 million euros.
ipj/pfd(Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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