(VOVworld) - German prosecutors on Tuesday sought a 3-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Oskar Groening, nicknamed “the Bookkeeper of Auschwitz”, a former SS sergeant who served at the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Groening is charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder on allegations he helped the Auschwitz Nazi death camp function by sorting cash and valuables seized from Jews. (Photo: AP)

Prosecutors told the Lueneburg state court in their closing arguments on Tuesday that his role helped the camp function, and he should be convicted of 300,000 counts of accessory to murder for those killed while he was there. Groening has also admitted guarding prisoners' baggage after they were unloaded from cattle cars onto the camp's ramps, and collecting and counting money stolen from the new arrivals and sending it to Berlin.

Court spokeswoman Frauke Albers said that because Groening was previously investigated in the 1970s but authorities then shelved the case, prosecutors also recommended that he have between 14 and 22 months deducted from his sentence because he wasn't granted a speedy trial. A verdict is expected this month.