Germany’s federal criminal police office, the LKA, searched a Mercedes plant over allegations that two employees in the purchasing department were taking bribes. The automaker says it is the injured party in this case, and has filed a complaint against the employees.
German criminal investigators were in Mercedes’ Sindelfingen plant late last week and, while there, they confiscated a mobile phone and a computer, among other objects, reports Germany’s Bild.
In addition, the outlet reports that the private residence of one of the accused employees was also searched.
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The focus of the police’s attention is said to have been on the plant’s purchasing department, and the two individuals are said to have been involved in one of Mercedes‘ largest-ever bribery scandals that could be worth millions of euros.
The size and sophistication of the case are reportedly behind the decision to call in the LKA, rather than a more local police force. The tactics used by the employees may also have been complex enough to require the country’s best experts.
“We are injured in the case and have filed a complaint,” Mercedes spokespeople told both Bild and Reuters. “We support the authorities in their investigations.”
Mercedes’ Sindelfingen plant is located just outside of Stuttgart, Germany. Mercedes builds the E- and the S-Class there, as well as the new EQS all-electric vehicle. The site has been in operation since 1915 and currently employs around 35,000 people.
According to Mercedes, in addition to manufacturing vehicles, the facility is also responsible for wider production, as well as “planning areas and central purchasing and supplier management” for the automaker.
