Allianz AG , one of 16 insurers embroiled in a legal tussle over missing Holocaust funds, yesterday defended its right to access government files which plaintiffs say they have not been allowed to see.

Attorneys for Holocaust victims and their families allege that the German Restitution Office granted Allianz special government permission to research privileged and confidential files related to Holocaust victims.

In a statement issued from New York, the plaintiffs demanded that the insurance company should be denied this access to information.

Allianz, responding to an inquiry, confirmed that it had access to government files but said this was designed to aid claimants, not put plaintiffs at a disadvantage.