The Duisburg public prosecutor’s office has formally charged a 62-year-old woman with fraud in 11 particularly serious cases and forging two documents. Tagesschau reported the filing, which accuses the former vocational college teacher of collecting over €248,000 in salary from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia between March 2021 and March 2025. Prosecutors allege she submitted medical certificates claiming she was unfit for work, despite knowing she remained capable of performing her duties. She stopped teaching in February 2009 but continued to receive full civil-service pay, a total that approached €1 million over 16 years, according to estimates from The Times.
The scrutiny began when a new school administrator in Wesel reviewed personnel files and questioned why the employee had not undergone a formal medical assessment in over a decade. The teacher challenged the order to submit to an exam, arguing the demand was unjustified after such a prolonged period of certified illness. A court rejected her challenge and ordered her to pay €2,500 in legal costs. This administrative dispute triggered a criminal investigation that uncovered the latest allegations of document falsification.
Investigators suspect the woman created two certificates declaring her fitness to scuba dive, presenting them as issued by a doctor who does not exist. These documents are central to the forgery charges, though prosecutors have not confirmed she held another job during her absence. Earlier rumors suggested she worked as a naturopath or sold skin creams, but Tagesschau reported investigators could not verify any secondary professional employment. The current indictment covers only the 2021–2025 period because earlier potential offences are time-barred.
The case highlights a loophole in Germany’s civil-service system, where teachers can retain full salary while medically unfit, unlike private-sector employees whose benefits are time-limited. Authorities can still order medical assessments and disciplinary procedures, but such reviews apparently failed to occur for 16 years. The teacher has not publicly responded to the allegations. The Duisburg Regional Court will now decide whether to open a full trial.