A German court sentenced a prosecutor to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Friday after a lengthy trial found him guilty of corruption and breach of professional secrecy.
A Hannover court found that the 40-year-old prosecutor, who has not been named under German privacy laws, passed information from a police investigation to an international drug gang and revealed details of a raid.
In January, when the trial stalled and an agreement was reached with the courts, the man unexpectedly admitted most of the charges. A boxing coach has been given a suspended sentence of one year and 10 months after being found guilty of corruption.
The convicted prosecutor admitted nine of the 14 charges brought by Osnabrück prosecutors in exchange for the obstruction of justice and other charges being dismissed. The court heard evidence he had undermined confidence in the rule of law.
He gave evidence that he was paid 2,500 euros ($2,800) for each report he made to the gang, but prosecutors alleged the amount was twice that amount. His salary is approximately 5,000 euros per month.
The investigation began as early as 2022, when the man’s home and office were raided. The case was dropped in October 2023 due to lack of evidence and was not heard again until June 2024. The trial began last April.