Germany's foreign ministry said Sunday it was probing past unusual billing practices at its Paris embassy after reports of an undeclared cash fund to pay staff for special events. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel had ordered a "special inspection" into the allegations, which first emerged amid a dispute with two former employees, the ministry said in a statement sent to AFP.
In the case first reported by Le Monde daily, a former butler and head waiter had accused the embassy of using fake invoicing practices to channel money into a fund used to give staff undeclared cash for overtime work. The men claimed they were fired for criticising the system, which had been used during events organised at the ambassador's residence on behalf of private companies such as BMW and Mercedes. Le Monde estimated that staff had received "hundreds of thousands of euros" in cash payments since 2007.
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