According to media reports, the arms manufacturer Rheinmetall also supplies ammunition to Saudi Arabia after the export ban imposed by the German government. The Düsseldorf-based concern uses its subsidiaries in Italy and South Africa, reports the "Stern" and "Report Munich".
Rheinmetall board member Helmut Merch said in a telephone conference with bank analysts that these deliveries were not affected by the export ban imposed by the federal government following the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He put the value of the annual ammunition deliveries at more than 100 million euros. Rheinmetall has not yet submitted a statement.
The Federal Government has no influence on the exports of foreign subsidiaries of German defense companies. "Deliveries from other states are subject to the respective national approval procedures of these states, regardless of whether they are German subsidiaries," said deputy government spokeswoman Martina Fietz last week.
The situation is different when German defense companies want to export technology, blueprints or components abroad. This is where the German arms export guidelines come into play.