Officials from the Federal Ministry of Economics drew attention to possible links to Russia – Die Zeit

BERLIN, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Germany’s economy ministry has asked the country’s domestic intelligence agency BfV to investigate two senior ministry officials over concerns about their possible links to Russia, weekly Die Zeit reported on Wednesday.

Referring to its own research, Die Zeit said that officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs contacted the BfV in the spring because of the officials’ allegedly pro-Russian attitude on issues such as the rescue operation for the energy supplier Uniper (UN01.DE) or the state intervention at Gazprom Germania. Continue reading

The officials did not call the time.

The BfV has examined the background, personal relationships and travel records of the officials and has not yet found any tangible evidence of espionage or corruption, reported Die Zeit.

The Federal Ministry of Economics, which does not want to comment on specific cases, has been in close contact with the BfV since the beginning of the legislative period, as its work is particularly under scrutiny due to its responsibility for energy security.

“Furthermore, the new government has completely revised the pro-Russian policy of the previous government,” said a spokesman for the economy ministry.

“All efforts of the new government are aimed at reducing dependence on Russian gas; this policy will be consistently implemented,” said the spokesman.

Reporting by Miranda Murray. Editing by Jane Merriman

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.