Visa scandal shocks German Embassy in Moscow

Employees of the German consulates in Moscow and Cairo and have been fired after an investigation revealed they had illegally issued hundreds of visas based on forged documents.

The information first appeared in the German Der Speigel magazine.  It was later confirmed by the German Foreign Ministry.

The report says six consulate employees in Egypt alone issued more than 130 visas, using fake papers.

In Moscow, one person was involved.   According to the newspaper, he issued more than a thousand visas.  So far only 153 recipients have been identified.