German Judges' Association Warns of 100 Billion Euro Money Laundering Annually, Criticizes State Underfunding

Judiciary Sounds Alarm on Money Laundering Epidemic

Berlin, Germany – The German Judges' Association (Deutscher Richterbund - DRB) has issued a severe warning regarding the pervasive issue of money laundering in Germany, estimating that a staggering 100 billion Euros are laundered within the country annually. Speaking to the Funke Mediengruppe on December 26, 2025, Sven Rebehn, Federal Managing Director of the DRB, sharply criticized federal states for their approach to law enforcement funding, asserting that their 'unilateral fixation on personnel costs' is severely undermining efforts to combat organized crime.

Under-Resourced Justice System Fuels Criminal Activity

Rebehn highlighted that this estimated 100 billion Euros in laundered funds annually allows various criminal enterprises to thrive. He stated that 'drug gangs, human traffickers, economic and financial criminals have it too easy in Germany' because they frequently encounter 'chronically understaffed and technically poorly equipped law enforcement agencies.' The DRB's assessment underscores a critical vulnerability in Germany's financial system, enabling illicit gains to be integrated into the legitimate economy with relative ease.

Personnel Shortages and Backlogged Cases

The core of the DRB's criticism lies in the perceived misallocation of resources by federal states. According to Rebehn, the focus on personnel costs has led to severe operational deficiencies within the justice system. Key figures illustrating this crisis include:

• A nationwide shortage of 2,000 public prosecutors.
• A backlog of approximately one million open cases piling up with investigators.

These shortages mean that 'complex cases often cannot be fully investigated due to a lack of resources and end in deals,' effectively weakening the state's ability to prosecute serious financial crimes.

Calls for Strategic Investment and a Renewed 'Rule of Law Pact'

In response to these alarming findings, the German Judges' Association is urging federal states to significantly increase their investment in the fight against organized crime. Rebehn emphasized that 'every additional Euro invested in more investigators for combating financial and economic crime would flow back into the state coffers multiple times over.' The DRB is not primarily calling for stricter laws or new authorities, but rather for 'significantly more specialized financial investigators and several hundred additional public prosecutors, legal clerks, and judges nationwide.'

Furthermore, the association is pressing for the swift implementation of a new 'Rechtsstaatspakt' (Rule of Law Pact) between the federal government and the states. This pact aims to bolster the judiciary with essential personnel and digital resources. While the federal government has reportedly pledged around half a billion Euros over the next four years for this initiative, some states remain hesitant regarding the financing, a stance the DRB views as detrimental to national security and justice.