Law & Justice

German Teacher Charged with Fraud After 16 Years on Sick Leave

By TOI World Desk

A 62‑year‑old German teacher, who has been on paid sick leave for 16 years without returning to the classroom, has been charged with fraud and forgery. The case, reported by German public broadcaster Tagesschau and the Duisburg public prosecutor’s office, alleges that the teacher received more than €248,000 in salary payments between March 2021 and March 2025 while being medically fit to work. The indictment includes 11 serious fraud counts and two counts of forgery. Investigators claim that the teacher submitted medical certificates stating she was unable to work, which persuaded the state of North Rhine‑Westphalia, her employer, to continue paying her full salary. The prosecution also alleges that she forged two certificates declaring her fitness to scuba dive, presenting them as issued by a doctor who does not exist. The teacher was employed at a vocational college in Wesel, North Rhine‑Westphalia, and stopped teaching in February 2009. She continued to receive her full civil‑service salary while submitting medical certificates to justify her absence. The case first attracted public attention in 2025 when officials questioned whether she remained medically unfit to teach. A court rejected her challenge to a medical examination order and imposed €2,500 in legal costs. Under Germany’s civil‑service system, teachers can receive full salary while medically unfit, but they are still subject to medical assessments and disciplinary procedures. The indictment covers only the period 2021–2025, as earlier offences are time‑barred. The total salary she may have received over the 16‑year period could have approached €1 million, but that figure is not part of the current indictment. The teacher has not publicly responded to the allegations. The Regional Court in Duisburg has been asked to decide whether to admit the indictment and open a full trial.}