Reported in the New York Times on Monday, public prosecutors in Berlin are investigating allegations that staff in some German embassies took bribes in exchange for issuing visas.
According the the Foreign Ministry local staff in German embassies in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa have issued visas in exchange for money and have overlooked false statemenst and did not properly review applications. These allegations have already brought about the dismissal of some employees and investigations are ongoing.
Police suspect that human trafficking networks seeking to bring women to work as prostitutes where being run from with in Germany and were using bribes to gain visas. Officials cannot say how many visas were issued in exchange for bribes.
