A former senior employee of the Bamberg public prosecutor’s office has been charged with embezzlement and breach of trust. The accused is said to have taken numerous items from the authority between September 2017 and August 2022 and also illegally paid himself money, as a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office announced. In order to avoid possible conflicts of interest, the proceedings were conducted by the Würzburg public prosecutor’s office.
The investigation against the man began when employees of the public prosecutor’s office noticed that several items were missing after he left the agency. During further research, the public prosecutor’s office also noticed that the man was said to have paid out money from the authority.
During the course of the police investigation, the criminal police found a “variety of items” in the man’s apartment in September 2022 that were missing from the public prosecutor’s office – including office supplies, furnishings and laptops. In mid-September 2022, an arrest warrant was issued against the Bamberg judicial employee. This was suspended under certain conditions at the end of October 2022. The defendant then had to hand over his identification documents and must also report any change in his place of residence.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, during the investigation the accused largely denied the allegations against him and then invoked his right to remain silent. The presumption of innocence applies until a final conviction is made.
The charges include 78 counts of embezzlement, 19 counts of breach of trust and theft. The Bamberg public prosecutor’s office is said to have suffered damage amounting to around 9,500 euros. The defendant is also accused of document suppression and possession of child and youth pornography. The latter is based on the fact that the accused is said to have taken two laptops that were confiscated from the public prosecutor’s office as part of criminal proceedings. In addition, he is said not to have forwarded a document through official channels. According to a spokesman, the responsible regional court in Bamberg has not yet decided whether to admit the charges.