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CHICAGO - The US offices of three Toyota suppliers were raided by the FBI in what one company said was an antitrust investigation, officials said Wednesday.
News of the raid came as Toyota president Akio Toyoda was being grilled by US lawmakers about auto defects which have led to accidents, deaths and the recall of some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide.
Warrants were served late Tuesday on the Detroit-area offices of three Japanese parts suppliers: Denso International America, Yazaki North America and Tokai Rika, also known as Tram, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
"This is not related to the investigation into Toyota recalls," Denso spokeswoman Bridgette LaRose Gollinger told AFP.
The Detroit-area headquarters of Denso's US subsidiary was "inspected" by the FBI and the US Justice Department "in regard to US antitrust laws," Gollinger wrote in an e-mail.
Denso "is cooperating with this investigation," Gollinger said, adding "we cannot comment on information related to the inspection."
It was not clear if Toyota was also implicated in the investigation and representatives for the Japanese automaker were not immediately available for comment.
The FBI would not confirm or deny Denso's assertion that the warrants were in relation to an anti-trust case or comment on whether Toyota was involved.
"The affidavits are sealed in federal court. I can provide no further information," FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold told AFP.
Representatives for Yazaki and Tokai Rika were not immediately available for comment.
US antitrust laws prohibit unfair business practices such as price fixing or bid rigging and are designed to maintain a competitive marketplace.
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department reached by AFP declined to comment.
- AFP /ls
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