Confidentiality is generally a fundamental concern for all parties involved in a mediation. However, this can become complicated when it comes to criminally relevant information that becomes apparent during mediation and is brought to the attention of the public prosecutor's office, possibly even anonymously. This includes issues such as tax evasion, bodily harm offenses, violations of maintenance obligations, and general property crimes. Here, the legitimate interest of the parties in keeping the contents of a mediation process confidential conflicts with the principles of German criminal procedure law. These include the principle of investigation and the state's claim to prosecution; these take precedence as soon as there is a reasonable suspicion of a crime. Therefore, the judiciary can take action in criminal investigations under certain conditions.