Motorhome manufacturer Knaus Tabbert: suspicion of corruption

The Lower Bavarian leisure vehicle manufacturer Knaus Tabbert is currently going through a turbulent time. The well-known manufacturer of motorhomes and caravans has undergone a change of management in recent weeks. In addition, production has been halted at two sites until the end of the year. The economic problems may now be compounded by another: the Landshut public prosecutor's office is investigating suspected corruption.

Two managers of a company "from the automotive sector" and a manager of a Saarland investment company aged between 57 and 61 are alleged to have accepted bribes from individual suppliers, according to the investigating authority and the Lower Bavaria police headquarters. In return, the paying suppliers are said to have been given preferential treatment for individual orders. In a raid involving 165 police officers, the public prosecutor's office had several offices and business premises at Knaus Tabbert and the home of one of the suspects searched. Further raids were carried out in Lower Saxony, Baden-Württemberg, Saarland, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Switzerland. The two managers were taken into custody.

For the time being: a suspicion

The search of Knaus Tabbert AG's business premises was carried out due to a public prosecutor's investigation against individual members of the company's management in connection with individual allegations of criminally relevant acts at the expense of the company, according to the brief statement. "The company itself is not the subject of the allegations." According to the statement, the investigators seized both files and documents. The public prosecutor's office and police expressly pointed out that in criminal law, the presumption of innocence applies to all suspects until they are convicted.

There has been considerable unrest in the Knaus Tabbert boardroom this year. First, Chief Financial Officer Caroline Schürmann left the company in February 2024. Her duties were taken over by CEO Wolfgang Speck until he also left "for personal reasons" at the end of October, leaving only two members of the Management Board. In mid-November, the Dutch shareholder Wim de Pundert, previously a member of the Supervisory Board, took over the management. He is to manage Knaus Tabbert in a dual role as CEO and CFO.

Boom is over

After the boom of the corona years, the motorhome and caravan manufacturer is currently suffering from a lack of orders. Due to a lack of capacity utilization, production at the company headquarters and at the Nagyoroszi plant in Hungary is currently at a standstill. Work is still being carried out at two other sites. Knaus Tabbert has significantly reduced its turnover and profit forecasts for this year. Last year, the company still achieved a turnover of 1.4 billion euros.

(mfz)