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Revealed: Corruption in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district with prison sentences!
In the Lüneburg case, two men were convicted of bribery after selling residence permits for money.
Revealed: Corruption in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district with prison sentences!
In a shocking turn of recent events, the Lüneburg district court has imposed prison sentences on an employee of the Lüchow-Dannenberg district immigration office and his assistant. These riveting details about corruption and abuse of public power were provided by the South German newspaper revealed.
The 31-year-old clerk, who was active from January 2022 to June 2023, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. In a total of 16 cases he illegally issued naturalizations and visas against payment and did not take care of forged documents. His 32-year-old accomplice, a former bar operator, received an even harsher sentence of nine years because he was already in prison with a previous sentence of seven years and six months for extortionate kidnapping.
The background and the dark dealings
According to the verdict, both men earned a total of 154,000 euros, which must now be paid back. The presiding judge, Christoph Paglotke, made it clear that the defendants were only concerned about money and noted that they shared the proceeds among themselves. The defense asked for lighter sentences; The clerk's lawyer argued for a maximum prison sentence of just three years because her client was under pressure. This pressure does not seem unjustified, as the 31-year-old was supported in his illegal activities by a network, such as the Reporting by NDR becomes clear.
Both defendants are accused of almost 17 crimes, which brought in a sum of 35,000 euros. There were several cases in which they accepted several thousand euros for unauthorized residence permits. The investigation was triggered by complaints from applicants who complained about delays in their procedures, despite payments being made.
An important pointer for public administration
The case shows us once again how important it is to prevent corruption in public administration. The Federal Civil Service Act (BBG) and the provisions of the collective agreement in the public service (TVöD) prohibit civil servants from accepting benefits - and for good reason. Corruption erodes trust in state institutions and impairs impartiality in administration, experts make clear. Haufe emphasizes that incorruptible officials are essential for the functioning of the state.
Serious violations such as those discussed here not only result in long prison sentences, but also the loss of civil service rights. Such incidents require not only court convictions, but also a rethinking of public administration structures and comprehensive anti-corruption measures.
The defense has announced that it may file an appeal, which will further test the processing and transparency of this case. The next steps following this ruling could represent an important development in addressing corruption in the public sector.