Honorary consuls are used as honorary diplomats where a country cannot or does not want to afford an ambassador. A media investigation now reveals that hundreds of them are involved in criminal activities. They make targeted use of their privileges, for example when travelling.
According to international media research, hundreds of so-called shadow diplomats such as honorary consuls have been involved in criminal or at least problematic activities worldwide. More than 500 current or former Honorary Consuls have been or are reported to be involved in criminal cases, scandals or government investigations. Among them are said to be convicted drug and arms dealers and sex offenders.
According to "Spiegel", the research was initiated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the US research platform ProPublica. Almost 60 media in 46 countries took part in the project. In Germany, in addition to the news magazine, it was also the NDR, the WDR and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".
A former honorary consul of Italy in Egypt is said to have tried to take valuable art objects such as mummy masks out of the country and was sentenced - in absentia - to 15 years in prison. According to the report, the main problem is that the honorary diplomats enjoy privileges but are only inadequately controlled.
Among other things, honorary consuls should support countries that cannot afford to send full-time diplomats abroad. In Western countries, people with long professional experience, for example in business or politics, often perform this honorary function. For example, they maintain contacts in the other country and certify documents.
According to the research, however, there are numerous black sheep who specifically exploit the privileges, for example when traveling - and some of the titles can even be bought. According to the research, since 2020 the federal government has sent five so-called verbal notes to inform other countries about criminal investigations against their honorary consuls. Germany is also represented abroad by many honorary consuls - often in smaller towns or regions where there are no embassies or consulates.
