Suspicion of embezzlement: U.S. authorities are apparently investigating Tesla

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Glass walls yes, transparency no? Elon Musk, Tesla CEO

Photo: GONZALO FUENTES / REUTERS

According to a media report, the US electric car manufacturer Tesla is being investigated for allegations of embezzlement of company funds for a private project of company boss Elon Musk. As the newspaper "The Wall Steet Journal" (WSJ) reported on Wednesday (local time), the U.S. federal judiciary and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated whether the company's funds were used to finance an extravagant glass house for the Tesla boss. Other U.S. media also reported on the incident, including the portal "Business Insider".

"Project 42" – as it is called internally, according to the newspaper – is about "the construction of a spacious glass structure" in Austin, Texas, where the electric car manufacturer's headquarters are located. According to the newspaper, employees are said to have spoken of a house for Musk in the case of the construction project. Both the prosecutor's and the SEC's investigations are still at an "early stage" and do not necessarily have to lead to an indictment, the report said.

Was the glass really delivered?

Back in July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Tesla's board of directors was investigating whether company funds had been misused for the project. Earlier, employees said that the company had ordered walls from a special glass worth several million dollars. The newspaper did not know whether the walls had actually been delivered and how far "Project 42" had progressed in the meantime.

The manager responsible for the construction of the Tesla Gigafactory near Austin, Omead Afshar, is said to have surprisingly switched to Musk's space company SpaceX in connection with the process. In recent months, the board of directors led by Chairwoman Robyn Denholm has been investigating the question of how much working time employees have taken up the project.

Listed companies such as Tesla must make public when they make payments or other material benefits to employees or shareholders.

beb/AFP