German prosecutor probing Daimler says is in touch with U.S. authorities

FRANKFURT, May 24 (Reuters) - German authorities involved in raiding Daimler's offices as part of a probe into diesel pollution are talking to authorities in the United States, the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

"We are in contact with U.S. authorities," it said, declining to elaborate further.

Prosecutors had on Tuesday searched Daimler's offices and other premises in the course of investigations "against known and unknown employees at Daimler who are suspected of fraud and misleading advertising connected with manipulated emissions treatment of diesel passenger cars."

News about communications between German and U.S. authorities also comes a day after the U.S. government filed a civil lawsuit accusing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV of illegally using software to bypass emission controls in 104,000 diesel vehicles sold since 2014.

Earlier this year, Daimler said recent steps by U.S. authorities to investigate diesel emissions pollution and so-called auxiliary emissions control devices could lead to significant penalties and vehicle recalls.

"As part of our cooperation with authorities, we have made the same information available to the Stuttgart prosecutor and the U.S. authorities," a spokeswoman for Daimler said on Wednesday.

No board member at Daimler has been implicated in the probe, the prosecutor's office said.

Some 23 prosecutors and around 230 staff, including police and state criminal authorities, were involved in Tuesday's searches of 11 German sites on the lookout for data files and evidence, the prosecutor's office had said. (Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; Writing by Edward Taylor; Editing by Maria Sheahan)

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