Overview

• The Amtsgericht Tiergarten convicted the 57-year-old German Archaeological Institute archaeologist on June 11 for fraud by omission after finding she failed to inform the payment office she was no longer in Yemen.
• Between February 2017 and December 2020 she improperly received about €6,900 per month in foreign allowances for herself, her husband and two children despite residing in Berlin.
• Prosecutors calculated total overpayments of approximately €671,000, of which she repaid €512,000 under a pretrial settlement.
• The court imposed a 10-month suspended sentence, concluding that she knowingly neglected her duty to notify the payroll office of her changed circumstances.
• Her defense maintains the institute was aware of her location and has filed an appeal against the verdict.