EIB investigates loans to Daimler in light of diesel questions

The European Investment Bank may ask Daimler to pay back loans extended for research and development in light of a report linking the Mercedes maker to diesel emission-test cheating, Welt am Sonntag reported.The company has received a total of 3.8 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in loans from the EIB since 2000, with around 2 billion still outstanding, the newspaper said. "The EIB is worried about the accusations against Daimler and their potential consequences for the bank's credit financing of the company," an EIB spokesman said in an article published on Sunday.

The news comes after Bild am Sonntag reported last week US investigators had found that Daimler's cars were equipped with software that may have helped them pass emissions tests. Daimler said it was cooperating with the U.S. authorities and had agreed upon strict confidentiality with the Department of Justice. It has not been charged with anything by the US authorities.

The EIB said it would need to wait for the outcome of official investigations before deciding whether Daimler should repay the loans, the newspaper said. A Daimler spokesman told Reuters it had received a request for information from the EIB and was cooperating with the bank.

-Reuters, Frankfurt