Munich – According to the indictment, a middleman, Arben A. (28), and immigration office employees Shkurte H. (27) and Michael T. (50) forged dozens of documents for foreigners. In return, the office employees allegedly received cash and tickets to FC Bayern Munich matches.
The main beneficiary of the fraudulent schemes is believed to have been Arben A. His relocation company was supposed to help foreigners with visa and work permit applications. To do this, according to the Munich I Public Prosecutor’s Office, he bribed his acquaintances within the office.
The prosecutor has charged him with 21 counts of bribery, as well as forgery of documents, fraud, and the unauthorized use of academic titles, professional designations, and insignia – he also posed as a lawyer.
Shkurte H. and Michael T. have been charged with 11 and 10 counts of corruption, respectively.
The Gang at the Munich Office Appears in Court: What the Middleman Demanded
For his illegal services, the middleman Arben A. received large sums: according to the charges, the external service provider charged between €500 and €10,000 for his services. He paid the former employee Shkurte H. €200 per case. Michael T. received the opportunity to work in a shisha bar, tickets for the FC Bayern vs. Augsburg match on August 27, 2023, as well as cash payments. The fraudulent schemes operated between May 2023 and June 2024.
The scheme worked as follows: Arben A. prepared fake confirmations from landlords to prove his clients lived in Munich. He passed these to Shkurte H., who then processed the initial registration or re-registration of Arben A.’s clients – after which the immigration office became responsible for them.
That’s where Michael T. worked. He would then issue fraudulent certificates, with which the clients obtained temporary residence and work permits – which, according to the indictment, were of course not legally valid. Most of the clients came from the Balkans – from Bosnia, Serbia, or Kosovo.
The scheme came to an end on March 11, 2025: on that day, police and prosecutors conducted raids on the Munich immigration office. Serious corruption allegations were brought against several employees. The raids were triggered by a report filed by the office itself, which had previously discovered “irregularities in case processing” during an internal investigation.
Source: tz / Munich I Public Prosecutor’s Office
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