Markus Kreitmayr, former commander of the elite Special Commando Forces (KSK), stands accused of failing to cooperate with authorities, the public prosecutor in the city of Tübingen said on Friday.

A 2019 annual inventory of ammunition found considerable shortages in the KSK’s depot in Calw, public prosecutor Nicolaus Wegele said. The missing ammunition was valued at around €28,000 (around $32,000).

Kreitmayr responded to the inventory report by calling a weapons amnesty, meaning soldiers could return ammunition anonymously and without punishment. During this process, more ammunition had been handed in than the shortage showed.

Kreitmayr is under pressure to explain his actions, with Wegele arguing that he should have expected some of the arms had been stolen but had made the prosecution of such offences impossible by allowing their anonymous return.

The former KSK commander has refuted the allegations via his lawyers.

In March 2021, a KSK soldier was convicted of hoarding weapons, explosives and ammunition in his garden in the village of Collm in eastern Germany.

The 46-year-old was handed a suspended sentence of two years.

The KSK has been hit by a number of scandals in recent years, prompting a major overhaul of the unit. One company was disbanded completely over concerns about right-wing extremism.

KSK forces are tasked with special missions of strategic interest, such as freeing German hostages in conflict zones and apprehending terrorists.