Angela Merkel rejects claims Germany covered up COVID-19 lab leak report
Mar 14, 2025
Berlin [Germany], March 14: Former German chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed accusations of a cover-up regarding her handling of intelligence reports on the origins of the Coronavirus pandemic, her spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The comment came after three newspapers reported that Germany's BND spy agency had concluded in 2020 that there was a strong likelihood the Coronavirus accidentally leaked from a Chinese lab, but the finding was never released to the public.
"Former chancellor Merkel categorically rejects the accusation implied in your question," a spokeswoman told Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper when asked whether Merkel, who left office in 2021, had concealed relevant information from the public.
Merkel's successor, Olaf Scholz, has refused to discuss the reports. "As far as intelligence findings are concerned, this is not the place to discuss them," he said at a press conference on Wednesday. (DPA)
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
