A 93-years old former Nazi SS soldier has been leveled with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder by prosecutors in Hannover, Germany, on Monday.
Oskar Groening is accused of facilitating the operation of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland by serving as a guard for the facility in 1944.
Mr. Groening is one of about 30 former Auschwitz guards who German authorities have decided to prosecute after changes to the country's statute of limitations in 2011 made way for their trials. Reports indicate that most of the accused persons have been deemed unfit for trial as they are senior citizens and some are contending with their failing health. However, Mr. Groening's legal team has revealed that he is in good health.
Mr. Groening has been very vocal about his experience as a Nazi soldier and has granted interviews on the subject. Although he confesses to have witnessed several violations of human rights, he insists he did not commit any crime.
But state prosecutors say he "helped the Nazi regime benefit economically, and supported the systematic killings." Mr. Groening, who was allegedly referred to as the 'accountant of Auschwitz' was put in charge of clearing the belongings of victims killed and those removed from the camp to prevent new arrivals from discerning their impending fate. Prosecutors say he collected an unknown amount of money for the Nazi government in his line of work.
In total more than 6 million Jews are believed to have been killed during the holocaust and an estimated 1 million of them were murdered at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Prosecutors say Mr. Groening and the other accused persons are some of the last surviving perpetrators of the horrible acts at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
