German goverment pretty much has its sh* together quite well. What has been described here shows how that is: While Germany offers a lot of freedom with "basic

German goverment pretty much has its sh* together quite well. What has been described here shows how that is: While Germany offers a lot of freedom with "basic rights" (the constitution starts with an enumeration comparable to the Bill of Rights), there is a certain expectancy in the law that the state will not ever fail. There is no good damage compensation for damages done by the state. (We do not have punitive damages anyway here in German law, so expect to get the value of a pair of used glasses when a police officer mistakingly destroys yours.) This is a general line. You don't get much for being in jail when it turns out you've done nothing wrong. There's no "fruit of the poisoned tree" doctrine that forbids the use of proofs in court that were gotten illegally. You get basically nothing for the time that your stuff got seized when it turns out in the end (after 12-15 months typically) that you've done nothing wrong. Please come and pick up your 486 machine, we're done analyzing - otherwise we'll get rid of it (on your expense). Germany as a state grands you a lot of rights, but expects you to do your share as a citizen - like not becoming a suspect.