Attorney Elger-Günther standing at the meeting room window holding a case file, looking out.

Guide

Investigation

All articles on Investigation.

Topics

InvestigationGoods fraud: what penalty you face after a report from an online saleWhat range § 263 StGB sets for goods fraud, where the difference from a civil dispute lies, what computer fraud means and what a repayment achieves.11 August 2026 · 9 minute read
InvestigationLimitation of criminal offences: when an offence may no longer be prosecutedWhich periods § 78 StGB sets, when they begin, why any examination can interrupt them and why a period you have calculated yourself is worth little.8 August 2026 · 9 minute read
InvestigationForgery of documents: when is signing someone else's name a crime?Forgery under § 267 StGB turns on who appears to have issued a document, not on whether its contents are true. The penalties and the neighbouring offences.7 August 2026 · 8 minute read
InvestigationWithdrawing a report: why only the application for prosecution can be taken backWhy a criminal report cannot be taken back, which offences need an application for prosecution, how withdrawing one works and what applies to you as a witness afterwards.6 August 2026 · 10 minute read
InvestigationPre-trial detention in Germany: what family can doSomeone close to you is in pre-trial detention. What counts in the first hours, who is given information, and how review of detention and complaint against detention fit together.6 August 2026 · 8 minute read
InvestigationStalking under § 238 StGB: what penalty it carries and what protection the law providesWhat § 238 StGB sets for stalking, what the statute requires, why criminal and Gewaltschutz proceedings are separate, and what rights injured people have.4 August 2026 · 9 minute read
InvestigationAssault: what penalty you face if a report is made after a fightWhat penalty assault carries, when § 223 StGB turns into § 224 StGB, what self-defence requires and what part application for prosecution and offender and victim mediation play.2 August 2026 · 10 minute read
InvestigationTrespass: what penalty applies and when entering another's premises is an offenceWhat § 123 StGB provides for trespass, when entering is unlawful, what applies in shops and restaurants, and the three month application for prosecution limit.1 August 2026 · 9 minute read
InvestigationFalse accusation: what to do when the report against you is wrongWhat § 164 StGB means by false accusation, why a counter-report does not end the case against you, and which steps in the investigation really help.30 July 2026 · 10 minute read
InvestigationCaught shoplifting in Germany: the penalty and what happens nextShoplifting is prosecuted as theft under § 242 StGB. What the store detective may do, how the case proceeds, and how the shop's flat fee is treated.29 July 2026 · 8 minute read
InvestigationExtortion with intimate images: what to do now and what penalty the law providesSecure the evidence instead of deleting it, report it to police, public prosecution office or Amtsgericht. Plus § 253 StGB and the rights of the injured person.28 July 2026 · 10 minute read
InvestigationPolice search of your home in Germany: your rightsThe police are at the door with a search warrant. What you have to allow, what you are not obliged to do, and what matters after the search.27 July 2026 · 8 minute read
InvestigationDiscontinuation under § 153a StPO: what consent meansWhat a discontinuation against a monetary condition under § 153a StPO is, which conditions are possible, and why your consent is a binding declaration.25 July 2026 · 7 minute read
InvestigationInsult in Germany: what penalty applies and where freedom of expression endsPenalties for insult, defamation and malicious defamation, value judgment against assertion of fact, the time limit for the application for prosecution, and the private prosecution.24 July 2026 · 9 minute read
InvestigationMy child has been reported to the police: how a juvenile case worksProceedings against a young person in Germany: the age limits, what the JGG provides instead of adult penalties, and when a youth custodial sentence is possible.21 July 2026 · 8 minute read