Berlin might face a lawsuit from one of Germany’s largest defense contractors, Rheinmetall, over its decision to halt all arms deals with Riyadh in the wake of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Der Spiegel reports.
Rheinmetall AG might file a claim for compensation against the federal government worth millions of euro, the company said in a letter to the Ministry of Economics, the German weekly says. The defense industry giant considers itself eligible for restitution as Berlin suspended exports, which were already approved by the German security council, “for political reasons.”
The company also fears that its own shareholders could file lawsuits against it if the management fails to demand compensation for the losses stemming from the halt of arms exports to Saudi Arabia. The exact amount of compensation has not been revealed, though.
Back in October, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her country would stop supplying weapons to Riyadh “under
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