A Bavarian customs officer passed on the address of a journalist working on right-wing extremism to third parties. According to a penalty order – that of Süddeutsche Zeitung – a man contacted the officer on his cell phone and asked if he could give out the address of a journalist. According to the penalty order, the middle-level customs officer based in Dettelbach, Lower Franconia, then looked up the address in the customs IT system and passed it on to the inquirer via Telegram chat. “He now lives in Berlin,” begins the answer according to the penalty order, followed by details of his new place of residence and his date of birth.
The penalty order for violating official secrecy in two cases amounts to 90 daily rates of 65 euros. According to the Würzburg senior public prosecutor Thorsten Seebach, it is already legally binding after the customs officer has accepted it. There was therefore no public trial.
The fact that the man whom the customs officer helped to find the address is a well-known right-wing extremist is evident from his file, according to judicial circles. The fact that the customs officer did not know this was “naive to believe” but “difficult to prove”. It is also unlikely that he did not know that the person being revealed was also a journalist working for the Amadeu Antonio Foundation – a simple Google search confirms this. The aim of the foundation is to strengthen civil society in Germany against anti-Semitism, racism and right-wing extremism.
The officer is not considered to have a “previous conviction” in the common sense
According to the legally binding penalty order, the official also used access to computer-supported customs information systems – which may only be queried for official purposes and are considered confidential – in another case. This one is no less delicate. According to the criminal order, the officer requested a man’s address and date of birth in October 2020 and forwarded it to 14 participants in a Threema group. The organization behind the Threema Group is the ultra fan group of FC Schweinfurt. According to police findings, the person questioned is an ultra-fan of the Würzburger Kickers. The query could have been very dangerous for him because the two ultra groups based in Lower Franconia are considered enemies.
The public prosecutor’s office applied for the penalty order in December 2022. The case only now became known through BR research. According to them, the officer told the criminal police that he had no contact with right-wing extremists. He knows the inquirer “from football”. The 90 daily rates imposed mean that the officer is not considered to have a “previous conviction” in the common sense. The most serious disciplinary consequences are therefore unlikely.