The 'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz' dies aged 96 before starting his prison sentence

The Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland has witnessed one of the most gruesome crimes against humanity. One of the people involved in this massacre, Oskar Groening was convicted in 2015 and was sentenced to four years in prison.

But the 96-year-old also known as the ‘Bookkeeper of Auschwitz’ has died before beginning his prison sentence. The man was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder of three lakh people in the infamous concentration camp.

Although he didn’t directly participate in killings, Groening was called the bookkeeper since he had to count cash taken from victims when they were brought to Auschwitz. His was one of the last major court battles related to the Holocaust when six million Jews were murdered under Adolf Hitler.

While Groening was sentenced after his conviction, legal wrangling and his ill health delayed the beginning of his time in prison. He gained attention in 2005 as he described in job in interviews for proving to Holocaust deniers that the killings did take place.

He said he was morally guilty for what happened at the concentration camp as he collected cash from Jews and sent it to Berlin where it funded the Nazi war effort.