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Berlin (dpa) - Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her commitment to the then Dax company Wirecard on a trip to China in 2019.
"Wirecard AG did not enjoy any special treatment during the trip," said the CDU politician in the committee of inquiry into the alleged fraud scandal involving the fintech company in the Bundestag. Wirecard's efforts to enter the Chinese market were in line with the goals of the federal government. It is normal for the Federal Government and the Chancellor to stand up for the interests of German business in bilateral contacts. Merkel emphasized: "In spite of all press reports, there was no reason to assume serious irregularities at Wirecard."
Last summer, Wirecard admitted a balance sheet hole of 1.9 billion euros.
The public prosecutor assumes that the annual financial statements have been falsified since at least 2015.
The auditors, however, repeatedly unreservedly stamped these accounts.
According to the Union, the bankruptcy caused economic damage of around 22 billion euros - many small investors lost money.
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Before the trip to China, Merkel had a conversation with the former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who worked as a lobbyist for Wirecard.
You could not remember that Guttenberg specifically mentioned Wirecard, said Merkel.
But it is correct that she referred him to her economic advisor Lars-Hendrik Röller after the interview.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210423-99-321804 / 2