THE German government has suffered a defeat in court in a dispute with a mask supplier and has been ordered to pay around €86 million ($93.6 million) plus interest.
The Cologne Higher Regional Court announced on Friday.
The lawsuit was brought by the trading company ILTS, which had taken part in an open tender in the spring of 2020 after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, in which the Health Ministry had promised high prices.
As a result, the federal government received many more masks than expected from a large number of retailers.
The ministry later refused to accept a large proportion of the goods, the court ruled that this was not lawful.
The judgment could set a precedent for other similar cases that are still pending, it is not yet legally binding.
The Health Ministry could face costs amounting to billions.
This puts pressure on the then health minister and current opposition politician Jens Spahn.
