German lawmakers seek to grill Merkel over Wirecard scandal

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers say they plan to question Chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy about their involvement with the collapsed payment systems provider Wirecard next month. Members of the parliamentary committee set up to investigate the Wirecard scandal said Wednesday that the long-time chancellor will be summoned to testify on April 23. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will be asked to testify the day before. Scholz is the center-left Social Democrats’ candidate to replace Merkel in this fall’s national election. Wirecard filed for protection from creditors through insolvency proceedings in June after admitting that $2.3 billion supposedly held in trust accounts in the Philippines probably didn’t exist.