An LKA team is said to have worked privately for Bushido – now Berlin is drawing conclusions.
According to a report, the Berlin authorities are dissolving a bodyguard commissioner at the State Criminal Police Office on Friday (October 17) due to suspicions of corruption. As the “Bild” newspaper reports, a subordinate personal protection command is also affected.
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The background is the surveillance of the rapper Bushido by a team of bodyguards from the Berlin LKA. At least two of them are said to have protected the rapper in their free time beyond their police duties, possibly using official resources. According to information from “Bild”, the entire personal protection commissioner concerned will now be dissolved. According to the “Berliner Zeitung”, the head of Commissariat 616 was also relieved of his duties. Around ten bodyguards will be transferred to other commands in the remaining five commissariats.
Suspicion of corruption and influence peddling
The police department responsible for prosecuting civil servant offenses has initiated disciplinary investigations and criminal proceedings. A police spokesman told “Bild” that they wanted to “rule out influence and connections.”
Police Vice President: Personal protection requires loyalty to the state
Police Vice President Marco Langner told “Bild”: “Personal protection requires absolute loyalty to the state and unrestricted integrity. Proximity to those protected must never turn into dependence. Only those who are immune to corruption and act dutifully protect the trust that our work carries. The measures introduced are necessary to secure this trust in the long term.”
According to the paper, the LKA leadership also confirmed that internal audits and external information had revealed “reliable evidence of a suspicious development in the LKA 616 Personal Protection Commissariat.”
Bodyguards filmed with Bushido in a snack bar
The controversy over Bushido’s personal protection was sparked when the rapper and his wife Anna-Maria were filmed in a Berlin restaurant in September during an “RTL” shoot with presenter Frauke Ludowig. “RTL” published the clip on Instagram. Two LKA bodyguards could be seen in the background – although Bushido has no longer been under personal protection since the beginning of 2024.
Secondary activities of police officers generally require approval. The police headquarters would probably not have allowed any protective activity outside of duty, writes the “Berliner Zeitung”.
Accompanied holidays and excursions
As “Bild” reports, the police officers are said to have worked privately for Bushido and his family for months. They are said to have traveled to performances and accompanied vacations and excursions – including abroad. The investigation is intended to clarify whether and how the officers were paid for their services and whether they carried service weapons. According to “Bild”, it is also about furniture, toys and electrical appliances from Bushido’s former villa in Berlin that were given away free of charge. A houseboat party on the Wannsee is now also part of the investigation.
“The LKA 6, which is responsible for operational services such as personal protection, and its special forces are subject to a strict code of conduct that requires a separation of official interests and private activities,” said police spokesman Florian Nath to the “Berliner Zeitung”.
The police union also described disbanding the command as the only right step. The personal protection of the capital police is highly professional, explained state chief Stephan Weh to the “Berliner Zeitung”. “This must not be brought into disrepute by the misconduct of individuals.”
According to the “Tagesschau”, Bushido and his family had personal and witness protection from the police for years because they received threats during a trial about Bushido’s former connections to a clan of Arab origin around Arafat Abou-Chaker.