Report: Research at Blackrock in Cologne

Investigators from the Cologne prosecutor's office, according to an insider, searched the premises of the Blackrock badet manager in Munich. The reason is a preliminary investigation into controversial Cum-Ex transactions, said a person familiar with the Reuters case.

This was reported for the first time by the newspaper "Bild". "Blackrock is cooperating fully with the investigating authorities in connection with an ongoing investigation into cum-ex transactions over the 2007-2011 period," said a spokesman for the group.

Thus, investigations would cover a period long before Friedrich Merz became chairman of the supervisory board of Blackrock Germany. Since 2016, the presidential candidate of the CDU has been head of the control body of the German branch. The prosecutors of Munich and Cologne did not want to comment. With "Cum-Ex", investors could repay the single withholding tax paid at least twice with the help of their bank. As a result, more than five billion euros have escaped cash in Germany, according to the Federal Ministry of Finance.