German Teacher Faces Trial After 17 Years on Paid Sick Leave
A German vocational school teacher who spent 17 years on sick leave while allegedly collecting full salary faces trial for aggravated fraud and document forgery.
A 62-year-old vocational school teacher from Germany, who has been on paid sick leave for 17 years while allegedly collecting her full salary, is facing criminal prosecution. Prosecutors in Duisburg have formally indicted the educator from Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, on charges of aggravated fraud and document forgery. Investigators estimate that the financial damage to the state treasury over the past four years alone exceeds 248,000 euros. According to the prosecution, there is suspicion of fraud in 11 particularly severe cases and document forgery in two instances. The accused has not yet responded to the allegations, and offenses committed prior to March 2021 have already lapsed under the statute of limitations. The Duisburg Regional Court will now decide whether to accept the indictment and open trial proceedings.
The teacher originally went on sick leave in 2009 for psychological reasons and never returned to the classroom, continuously submitting medical certificates while receiving her full civil servant salary, bonuses, and compensation for unused vacation days. Her gross monthly earnings reportedly ranged between 5,000 and 6,200 euros. Authorities only initiated an investigation in 2024, fifteen years into her absence, after the regional government re-examined her personnel file. The current head of the vocational school, who took office in 2015, stated that he had never even heard her name. The prolonged absence went unnoticed due to administrative turnovers and weak oversight, sparking widespread debate over bureaucratic control.
Investigators also probed whether the teacher worked as an alternative medicine practitioner during her leave, though prosecutors found no evidence to support this claim. The indictment specifies that between March 2021 and March 2025, the accused submitted ten fraudulent medical certificates despite knowing she was fit for work, alongside further certificates submitted through her lawyer in September 2025. The forgery charges stem from a separate matter: an avid diver, the teacher allegedly issued two fitness-to-dive certificates in her own name using a nonexistent physician. If convicted, she faces several years in prison. Meanwhile, disciplinary proceedings are underway, and the state has forcibly retired her, a decision she is challenging in court.
