29.10.2026 17:32
An indictment has been prepared on charges of fraud and forgery against a 62-year-old teacher in Germany who was found to have received 248,000 euros (approximately 14 million TL) in salary over 17 years without going to work by obtaining sick notes. The teacher, who went unnoticed for years due to changes in school administration, is alleged to have worked as an alternative medicine practitioner and used forged documents during the period he was on sick leave. If found guilty, the teacher faces up to 10 years in prison.
The first step has been taken in the judicial process concerning the teacher who has been on uninterrupted sick leave in Germany since 2009 and has continued to receive full salary from the state during this period. The Duisburg Public Prosecutor's Office announced that an indictment had been prepared against the teacher on charges of fraud and forgery. According to the indictment submitted to the Duisburg Higher Regional Court, the 62-year-old vocational college teacher is accused of fraud in 10 cases and forgery in two cases.
DID NOT COME TO WORK FOR 17 YEARS, RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 248 THOUSAND EUROS IN SALARY
According to the Duisburg Public Prosecutor's Office, the teacher obtained sick notes for various reasons starting in 2009 and during this period had no contact with the educational institution, whose management and staff had changed. According to the indictment, due to changes in the school administration, it was not noticed that the teacher had not come to work for a long time. It emerged in 2025, during the district education directorate's review of personnel files, that the teacher had never gone to the school despite still being on staff. The review determined that the teacher had not come to work for 17 years on the grounds of sick leave and had received a total of 248 thousand euros (approximately 14 million Turkish lira) in salary during this period.
The prosecutor's office reported that the teacher, who was stated to be physically able to perform their duties, submitted long-term incapacity for work reports 10 times between March 2021 and March 2025. The charges relating to the period before these dates were not included in the investigation due to the statute of limitations.
WORKED EVERYWHERE OUTSIDE SCHOOL
According to the indictment, during the period the teacher was on sick leave, they worked as an alternative medicine specialist and prepared forged documents to prove their professional qualifications. It also emerged that the teacher used a forged diving certificate. The teacher could not be found in a raid on their home in Duisburg in March 2026, and their digital materials were seized. In July 2026, mandatory retirement proceedings were initiated.
It was stated that if the Duisburg Higher Regional Court accepts the indictment and the teacher is found guilty at the end of the trial, they could be sentenced to between 6 months and 10 years in prison.