Germany’s prosecutor’s office confirmed on Monday (September 7) that they are investigating 32 individuals suspected of impersonating descendants of Jewish victims of the Nazi era and fraudulently obtaining German citizenship, with at least 28 of them being Chinese citizens.
The Dusseldorf prosecutor’s office revealed to The Jerusalem Post that the suspects in this case forged documents and falsified personal information to pose as descendants of Jewish victims, applying for German citizenship at the Cologne Federal Administrative Office, with many of them successfully obtaining German passports.
According to the authorities, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Germany and the prosecutor’s office have been investigating the case for about a year. These suspects are facing charges of document forgery and violating the Nationality Act.
Article 116 (2) of the German Basic Law stipulates that Germans who were deprived of citizenship between 1933 and 1945 for political, racial, or religious reasons and their descendants may apply to have their citizenship restored.
Applicants only need to provide documents such as birth certificates and proof of lineage to quickly obtain German citizenship, without having to renounce their original citizenship, settle in Germany, or meet language, income, or other requirements.
A report by Der Spiegel on September 4th revealed that a criminal syndicate targeted legitimately eligible Jewish couples, fabricated identities for their “descendants,” and sold them to clients to use for citizenship applications.
For example, a Chinese citizen named Liu, wanted internationally for alleged kidnapping and murder, impersonated the deceased Jewish couple Karl Siegfried and Gertraud Suesskind’s grandchild in 2024 under the alias “Derek Wang” to obtain German citizenship and a passport.
Another Chinese citizen residing in London, named Tian, also successfully applied for citizenship under the identity of a descendant of the same couple.
More than thirty similar cases across multiple states in Germany have been identified, with about half of the applicants successfully obtaining German citizenship.
These suspects, many of whom are wanted by law enforcement in China for large-scale fraud, were recruited by the organizers of the citizenship fraud through Chinese social media platforms, promoting the benefits of having a German passport for unrestricted travel and avoiding international arrest warrants.
Since all the suspects live abroad in countries like Cyprus, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, German investigators find it challenging to summon them for questioning.
Apart from the Chinese individuals involved, there are also two Israelis implicated in the case. One of them, a psychiatrist, obtained German citizenship in 2017 claiming to be the “daughter” of the Siegfried couple. However, discrepancies were found in the entry records.
It was reported that journalists of Der Spiegel recently received a threat via WhatsApp from a UK number, warning of retaliation if they continue to pursue the investigation.
The report also pointed out that illegally obtained naturalized German citizenship can only be revoked within a ten-year statute of limitations, making it more difficult to revoke citizenship.
The report concluded that German officials, out of a sense of historical atonement, generally trust applicants, but this goodwill has been exploited by fraudulent groups. It also exposed loopholes in the government’s review mechanism.