Angela Merkel phone tapping probe closed

German prosecutors have closed their investigation into the alleged tapping of chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone by the US National Security Agency, saying they have been unable to find evidence that would stand up in court.

Prosecutors last June opened an investigation into the alleged monitoring of a phone Merkel used for party business, an issue that has weighed on relations between Germany and the US.

However, chief prosecutor Harald Range signalled in December that the probe wasn’t going well, saying that he had found no actionable evidence.

German magazine Der Spiegel broke the story of the alleged monitoring in late 2013, citing documents provided by Edward Snowden.

Range’s office said yesterday it has been unable to get hold of an original document proving the alleged spying, and that a published transcript of an NSA document allows for various interpretations. “The documents published in the media so far that come from Edward Snowden also contain no evidence of surveillance of the phone used by the chancellor solid enough for a court,” it said in a statement.