Duisburg teacher charged with fraud after 17 years on sick leave
Prosecutors allege the teacher received salary and benefits while on sick leave for 17 years, causing €248,000 in damage.
A teacher in Duisburg who reportedly spent 17 years on sick leave has been charged with fraud, with prosecutors saying the state may have suffered losses of €248,000 while she continued to receive salary and other benefits.
Timeline and allegations
The accused is a 62-year-old biology and geography teacher from Duisburg. Prosecutors say she was on sick leave from 2009 because of mental health problems, while medical certificates stating temporary incapacity for work were regularly renewed.
Authorities allege that, between March 2021 and March 2025, the teacher continued to receive pay, salary increases and compensation for unused annual leave, and that the state incurred damage of €248,000 during that period.
She now faces accusations of fraud in particularly serious cases and falsification of documents. Investigators are examining how the prolonged payments were authorised and whether official procedures were circumvented.
The case has drawn public attention in Germany because of the unusually long sick leave — 17 years — and the size of the alleged loss. Prosecutors have opened a criminal file and the matter is under active investigation.
Authorities declined to name further details about disciplinary or administrative follow-up while the criminal probe continues.
Photo: press material from the event
