Prosecutors raid offices of Sybac Solar - report

Sep 4, 2013 - Prosecutors from Koblenz have raided offices of German manufacturer Sybac Solar in the towns of Polch and Kehrig, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Rhein-Zeitung reported today.

The public prosecutor's office told the newspaper the solar company is being investigated on suspicion of tax evasion and the recruitment of foreign workers without a labour permit and paying them less than its German staff. Sybac Solar is also suspected of withholding payments to its employees.

A company spokesman declined to comment on the matter when contacted by Rhein-Zeitung and referred to a press release Sybac Solar were to publish soon.

Basis for the current investigation are irregularities discovered during check-ups at construction sites of Sybac Solar.

The company is among the manufacturers and operators of some of the largest solar plants in Rhineland-Palatinate. When it was opened in December 2011, the plant in Polch was the state's biggest solar facility with 54,000 modules installed. In the summer of 2012, the plant in Pferdsfeld was opened and took the top spot with its 135,000 installed modules. Sybac said it had invested EUR 60 million (USD 79m) in the latter facility.

The solar plant in Kaisersesch, opened in January 2013, is the third-largest in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Sybac Solar, started with installing rooftop-mounted systems. It opened its first solar plant in 2009.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.317)

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