According to information from the FAZ, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt has filed charges against senior public prosecutor Alexander B., who is suspected of corruption.

A spokeswoman for the authority said on request that she could not confirm the indictment "at this time".

As reported, the 54-year-old senior staff member of the Attorney General's Office is being investigated for commercial bribery, commercial embezzlement and tax evasion.

The proceedings against B. became known in the summer of 2020 and had previously been conducted by the public prosecutor with extreme secrecy so as not to jeopardize the investigations against his own colleague from another authority.

The information that led to the initiation of the proceedings was given by the former partner of the accused.

The senior public prosecutor, who for years headed the "Central Office for Combating Property Crimes and Corruption in the Health Care System" and was press spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, is said to have persuaded an acquaintance to set up a company in 2005, the purpose of which was to provide expert opinions for the judiciary.

He is said to have been a de facto shareholder since 2007 and played a leading role in determining the business.

According to the public prosecutor's office, he specifically exploited investigations by the central office he heads against doctors, clinics and other players in the healthcare sector in order to generate income for the company - and thus for himself.

"In a conspiratorial manner and in massive violation of official duties" he worked with several employees of the company.

allegation of infidelity

B. is said to have signed invoices "whose factual incorrectness he was aware of" as correct and released them for instruction.

In a statement from the public prosecutor's office in January, it was said that the state of Hesse had suffered pecuniary damage of EUR 558,000 for the cases that had already been determined at the time, just from the period from August 2015 to July 2020, which was not statute-barred.

His duties as head of the central office also included remuneration negotiations and the conclusion of framework agreements, i.e. the "specific extent of the costs to be borne by the judiciary". As an employee in this prominent position, he therefore had a "duty to provide for and look after the assets". State of Hesse on which the accusation of infidelity is based.

The statement from January also said that the employees of the company had been entrusted by B. with all kinds of other activities beyond the evaluation of documents from investigations, including the partial drafting of indictments, which “under no circumstances should be carried out by private service providers for remuneration may be done".

All activities were billed as expert activities in consultation with B., including those that were not.

B. billed general operating costs as well as services "for which there was no need for factual reasons".

Some of what was provided in earlier proceedings, he settled again in further proceedings as a new, independent activity.

Services that were not provided at all were also billed, in consultation with B.

Regarding the allegation of tax evasion, the public prosecutor's office said at the time that it was about bribes and rental income for which there was no explanation.

The evaded amount added up to 165,000 euros.

The public prosecutor's office is investigating nine other suspects in the complex.

Including against two prosecutors on suspicion of aiding and abetting infidelity, one of whom was a long-time employee of B.

The second was seconded to the Attorney General's Office for a few months and is said to have been involved in a single trial.

Both prosecutors are suspended from duty.

Alexander B., who was taken into custody in the summer of 2020 but was then spared, has been in custody again since the end of January 2022.

He was arrested because "there are further allegations to a considerable extent," as it was said at the time.

"Because of the significantly increased expectation of punishment, in addition to the continuing risk of collusion, there is now also the reason for the arrest of the risk of flight." All other suspects are at large.