As a result of the immediately started investigations of the police and a house search in the same night and a few days later, big amounts of additional chemicals and other objects were found, most of which had been stolen from KIT. The case was then taken over by the public prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe.
KIT has now initiated an extensive internal examination as to how this incident could have happened. Normally, a four-eyes principle is applied when ordering chemicals. Order processes are checked in several stages and also a necessity check is required. The accused person assumed a position of trust and had a high technical qualification.
Due to the incident, KIT has arranged for the conditions of the order procedure and the internal control mechanisms being reviewed exten-sively. If necessary, the control system will be tightened and monitored more closely in order to ensure that such incidents will not happen again. The employment relationship with the employee was terminated.
In close partnership with society, KIT develops solutions for urgent challenges – from climate change, energy transition and sustainable use of natural resources to artificial intelligence, sovereignty and an aging population. As The University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT unites scientific excellence from insight to application-driven research under one roof – and is thus in a unique position to drive this transformation. As a University of Excellence, KIT offers its more than 10,000 employees and 22,800 students outstanding opportunities to shape a sustainable and resilient future. KIT – Science for Impact.