Former Munich KVR employee goes on trial accused of bribery and forgery

The trial of a former employee of Munich's district administration department, the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR), has begun at the Munich I Regional Court. Prosecutors accuse her of offences including accepting bribes and forging documents.

The charges relate to cases between September 2024 and May 2025. Irregularities were first noticed at the beginning of 2025 during mandatory case checks in the labour migration residence section of the KVR's service centre for immigration and naturalisation.

The case stems from the KVR's own internal investigation. After the first suspicions emerged, the department brought in the city's anti-corruption unit, and together they immediately reported the findings to the public prosecutor's office so that a criminal investigation could be opened.

Dr Hanna Sammüller, head of the KVR, said: "Corruption is an offence that is uncovered through checks. The fact that the irregularities in case handling were spotted so quickly and the employee responsible is now standing trial shows that the control mechanisms within the Kreisverwaltungsreferat are working. We have taken extensive measures and raised staff awareness of the issue. The KVR has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and will continue to report every suspicion."

Since taking office in 2022, Dr Sammüller has made tackling corruption within the administration a priority. Among other steps, she has strengthened the KVR's internal audit unit, placed it directly within her own office, increased its staffing and powers to intervene, and ordered intensive training for all KVR staff. The department sets out its anti-corruption strategy online at https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/antikorruptionsstrategie.html.