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A German court in Hanover sentenced a public prosecutor to eight and a half years in prison on Friday after finding him guilty of corruption and breaches of professional confidentiality following a lengthy trial.
The 40-year-old prosecutor, whose name was withheld under German privacy law, was found to have passed information about police investigations to a gang of international drug dealers and disclosed details of a raid.
In January, the prosecutor made a surprise confession to most of the allegations after the trial had stalled, reaching an agreement with the court. A boxing trainer, convicted as an accessory to corruption, received a suspended sentence of one year and ten months.
The prosecutor admitted to nine of the fourteen charges brought by Osnabrück prosecutors in exchange for the dismissal of charges related to obstruction of justice and others. The court heard that his actions had undermined public confidence in the rule of law.
He testified that he received €2,500 ($2,800) for each tip given to the gang, although prosecutors claimed the amount was twice that. His monthly salary was approximately €5,000.
The investigation began in 2022 when authorities searched his home and offices. The case was initially dropped in October 2023 due to lack of evidence but was reopened in June 2024. The trial commenced in April 2023.
