German prosecutors on Thursday said they had opened an investigation against persons unknown at the transport ministry and the KBA federal transport authority on suspicion of leaking trade secrets from car giant Daimler.
The probe is centred on "the suspicion of the unauthorised disclosure of trade or business secrets to Daimler's disadvantage", a spokeswoman for the Stuttgart prosecutor's office told AFP, confirming a report in finance magazine WirtschaftsWoche.
She gave no further details.
The transport ministry and the KBA said they do not comment on ongoing investigations, but stressed that they would cooperate with investigators.
Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler also declined to comment, saying only that its understanding was that the probe was "ex officio", meaning it was self-initiated by prosecutors.
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