Thyssenkrupp investor Cevian: We never demanded special dividend

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Swedish fund Cevian, which holds an 18% stake in Thyssenkrupp <TKAG.DE>, has never demanded a special dividend from the ailing conglomerate, a spokesman told Reuters.

The comments squash ongoing speculation over a special payout, which has drawn fierce opposition from leading labour representatives at the steel-to-elevators group.

The spokesman said that Cevian, Thyssenkrupp's second-largest shareholders, had previously participated in two capital increases and voted against proposals to pay a dividend in 2017 to improve the group's balance sheet.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Tassilo Hummel)