The Welt am Sonntag newspaper said the suppliers claim they have never been paid or were only partially paid for providing the face masks ordered by the federal government.

The government put in orders for around 6 billion masks to help protect against the coronavirus and limit its spread.

The 48 suppliers had filed civil suits at the relevant district court in the city of Bonn as of Friday. The claims for reimbursement range from 300,000 euros (353,000 dollars) up to 5 million euros.

The first lawsuits were filed in May. Two weeks ago, the number stood at around 30. The first cases are expected to go to court in September.

The Health Ministry said it is aware of the lawsuits and attributed the payment problems to defects in quality and incorrectly issued invoices, the newspaper said.