Cancer-stricken Alfons Schuhbeck stays out of prison until at least May 2027

Prosecutors extend the suspension

The Munich I public prosecutor's office has extended the interruption of Alfons Schuhbeck's prison sentence until at least 5 May 2027, as announced on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The 77-year-old will therefore not be taken into custody for now. The decision rests on a new expert opinion commissioned by prosecutors, which concluded that Schuhbeck is still not fit for detention at the present time. The sentence has not been lifted, only interrupted, and the interruption can be revoked at any time. Prosecutors plan to review again in May 2027 whether he can resume serving it.

Cancer and medical care

Schuhbeck has cancer and is being treated outside the prison walls. The illness became public in June 2025 during a court case, when his lawyer described it as incurable and progressive. Surgery did not remove the tumour completely. The interruption has been in place since February 2025 for health reasons. In April 2026, prosecutors extended it until early September, after an expert had already concluded that serving the sentence was not possible even in a prison unit with a hospital ward. Under section 455 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a sentence can be interrupted if the convicted person develops a mental illness, if the illness cannot be recognised or treated in the prison or its hospital, or if life is at risk.

Conviction and debts

The Munich I Regional Court sentenced Schuhbeck in July 2025 to an aggregate prison term of four years and three months. The convictions covered insolvency delay, fraud including subsidy fraud, breach of bookkeeping duties and intentional bankruptcy. The court also included an earlier 2022 conviction for tax evasion in the sentence. Schuhbeck built a network of restaurants, a spice shop and a catering business over many years, and it left him financially overstretched with large debts. Creditors filed claims totalling 27 million euros in the insolvency proceedings.

Timeline of the suspension

The sentence has been suspended in stages since early 2025, with the key steps shown below. Prosecutors have extended the interruption several times rather than ordering him back into custody. The most recent extension covers the period up to at least 5 May 2027. Until the next review, Schuhbeck remains outside prison and continues to receive medical care.