For a year now, using a fake vaccination card in a pharmacy, for example, has been punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison. Commercial trading in such papers can result in imprisonment of up to five years.

Although there was already a law criminalizing such counterfeiting, it was only punished if it was presented to authorities or insurance companies. Cases in which the forged document was shown to a pharmacy for a digital vaccination certificate or in the catering trade were left out.

In the specific case, the accused in Hamburg was acquitted of the charge of falsifying health certificates, although he had issued false corona proofs in vaccination cards with a label, stamp and signature for money. He was also not convicted of forgery. The public prosecutor's office appealed against this and was now successful.