Investigations into an Indian man in Offenbach led authorities to a suspected smuggling ring that allegedly arranged German residence permits for people from India in return for payment. The Darmstadt public prosecutor's office said on Thursday that it has filed charges against four people, including the man from Offenbach.
According to prosecutors, the alleged method followed a similar pattern each time. Indian nationals married EU citizens, particularly in Cyprus, in return for payment. Residence registrations in Germany were then arranged, and the Indian nationals received residence permits on the basis of family reunification.
One of the four defendants is a former employee of the district foreigners' office of the city of Cologne. Prosecutors say she supported her co-defendants with her specialist knowledge and obtained the required residence permits. She and her husband were arrested in Cologne in December last year. The city of Cologne confirmed the case and said it has since cancelled the unlawfully issued residence titles.
Whether a trial will take place is still open. The competent criminal chamber at the Darmstadt regional court is currently examining the indictment. If the court admits the charges, the trial could begin in February.
The city of Cologne said it assumes that only this one employee of the foreigners' office is suspected of such offences. It stated that no further accusations have been brought against staff or against the Cologne foreigners' office as a whole. The office said decisions must be taken jointly and then documented, and that various bodies inspect it even without a specific reason. Existing controls and documentation duties had, in this case, substantially helped to clarify the alleged offences. The city said the former employee had allegedly acted in a seriously criminal way, including as part of a gang, in order to bypass all control mechanisms.