Bushido with LKA police officers 2023: At that time the rapper was still under personal protection.
Source: dpa
Bushido is a pioneer of German gangster rap. The songs are often about police and crime. Now the artist himself is being targeted by investigators because of allegations of corruption. Berlin prosecutors are investigating Anis Ferchichi – that’s Bushido’s real name.
Bushido is said to employ LKA officers as bodyguards
Bushido is said to have employed two officers from Berlin’s State Criminal Police Office (LKA) as bodyguards to protect him personally. A spokesperson for the Berlin prosecutor’s office told ZDF that “an investigation has been initiated into the alleged provision of benefits.”
Providing benefits is a criminal offense and is one of the criminal acts of corruption. Additionally, an investigation into the exploitation of a person has been initiated against two people, according to the prosecutor’s office. The principle of presumption of innocence applies. ZDF was unable to contact Bushido or any of his lawyers.
The days when rapper Bushido and his former manager Abou-Chaker were good friends are long gone. After years of legal proceedings, the verdict was taken in February 2024.
02/05/2024 | 1:50 min
Police officers seen in the RTL interview
The allegations first became public through an Instagram video by RTL presenter Frauke Ludowig in September 2025. Ludowig met Bushido and his wife at a kebab shop in Berlin-Mitte for an interview.
In the video, two men can be seen in the background guarding the entrance area. They were later identified as LKA Berlin officers.
Bushido has been under police protection for many years
Bushido, who now lives mostly in Dubai, was under police protection for years because he appeared as one of the plaintiffs in a trial against several brothers from the extended Abou-Chaker family of German-Arab descent. Arafat Abou-Chaker used to be Bushido’s manager – until a dispute broke out.
The Abou Chaker brothers were acquitted of the main charges in 2024, and the LKA ended police protection for Bushido. But at least two officials are said to have continued to work for Bushido.
The Commissariat for Personal Protection was dissolved
In October, LKA Berlin disbanded the personal protection commission following an internal investigation. All officers were transferred to rule out possible “influence and connections,” Berlin police said in a press release at the time. The report further stated that there were “credible indications of suspicious developments regarding corruption.”
There were also suspicions that officials had used “official resources inappropriately.” Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik Meisel said on RBB television in October: The incident “damaged the reputation of the guards at the State Criminal Police Office. And I deeply regret it.”
