Searches at JVA Willich I: Public prosecutor's office investigates two employees for drug trafficking and corruption

Opposition criticism and accusations against Limbach

Update of July 29, 2026: The events in Willich have reignited the political debate in North Rhine-Westphalia. The SPD and FDP have requested another special meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee of the state parliament; according to WDR information, it is scheduled for August 5. This was preceded by several meetings in which the members of parliament were briefed on incidents at the JVAs in Euskirchen, Rheinbach and Siegburg – but they were not informed about the investigations in Willich.

The opposition is sharply criticizing Justice Minister Benjamin Limbach (Greens). Sonja Bongers, the SPD parliamentary group's spokesperson for legal policy, stated that the minister had "Die Kontrolle über den Justizvollzug in NRW verloren". She added: "Wer selbst bei derart schwerwiegenden Vorgängen nicht für Transparenz sorgt, wird seiner politischen Verantwortung nicht gerecht." FDP member of parliament Werner Pfeil spoke to the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" of the "Verdacht der Vertuschung" and demanded an explanation from the minister in the Legal Affairs Committee.

Apology and announcement from the Justice Ministry

The Justice Ministry in Düsseldorf responded on Wednesday with a written apology to the chief whips of the Legal Affairs Committee. The Parliamentary State Secretary Daniela Brückner delivered the letter, which reads: "Für die fehlende Unterrichtung des Parlaments und der Öffentlichkeit können wir uns an dieser Stelle nur entschuldigen." A spokeswoman for the ministry also announced that internal processes and structures would be analyzed, "um eine umfassende Information des Parlaments sicherzustellen". It is currently being clarified "warum eine Information des Parlaments nicht erfolgt ist. Das Parlament hätte über die Maßnahme informiert werden müssen".

Background: Urgent letter and review at the ministry

The background dates back to June. At that time, employees of JVA Willich 1 had sent an urgent letter to several media outlets, pointing out, among other things, a high workload and alleged internal misconduct at the facility. The letter was also addressed in the Legal Affairs Committee of the state parliament. At the meeting on July 8, the Justice Ministry rejected the allegations from the letter; a ministerial review concluded that the allegations could not be confirmed and that cooperation within JVA Willich I was characterized by appropriate and professional structures.

Further investigations at JVA Rheinbach, Euskirchen and Siegburg

JVA Willich I is not the only focus of the investigations. Investigations are also underway at the JVAs in Rheinbach and Euskirchen on suspicion of corruption. Just a few days before the reporting on Willich, there had also been a raid at JVA Siegburg in connection with an alleged planned uprising by prisoners. The accumulation of incidents in North Rhine-Westphalian prisons has further intensified the discussion about conditions in the state's penal system.

The "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" was the first to report on the investigations in Willich; it was followed by the German Press Agency and WDR, whose online report under the title "Weitere Korruption in JVA? Durchsuchungen in Willich" was published on July 29, 2026 at 10:49 a.m. On the same day, Deutschlandfunk broadcast a report on the events. Sources in the reporting include, in addition to the Krefeld public prosecutor's office, a written report from the NRW Justice Ministry dated July 8, 2026.

Outlook on the special meeting on August 5

The SPD and FDP parliamentary groups in the state parliament announced that they intend to use the special meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee planned for August 5 to fundamentally review the ministry's information policy. In particular, it is to be discussed why the parliament was not informed about the raid in Willich despite being actively engaged with incidents at other prisons. FDP politician Werner Pfeil formulated the expectation: "Der Minister muss im Rechtsausschuss erklären, warum er Öffentlichkeit und Parlament über die Razzia in Willich wochenlang nicht informiert hat."

As the ministry further announced, it will take the incidents as an opportunity to fundamentally review the procedures for informing the parliament. Regardless of this, the criminal investigations by the Krefeld public prosecutor's office are ongoing. It remains unclear whether and to what extent the suspicion against the two employees of JVA Willich I can be substantiated. According to the investigating authority, the secured evidence is to be evaluated over the coming weeks.