WorldEurope

Actions

96-Year-Old Former Nazi Officer Must Serve Prison Sentence

He's set to serve four years for his role as the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz."
Posted at 12:16 PM, Jan 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-18 12:16:13-05

A 96-year-old former Nazi officer who worked at the infamous Auschwitz death camp was denied clemency by German prosecutors Wednesday.

Oskar Groening, known as "the bookkeeper of Auschwitz," will have to serve four years in prison. In 2015, he was convicted as an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people during World War II. But he hasn't served any time due to the appeals process.

Groening was responsible for counting the money found in belongings of people arriving at the camp and sending it to the Nazi headquarters in Berlin.

Groening said he was "morally complicit" in the crimes but has denied legal guilt.

A request to suspend Groening's sentence based on his age was denied in August. It isn't clear if he'll appeal Wednesday's ruling.

An estimated 6 million Jewish people died in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

 Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN