John Demjanjuk, 89, accused of being accessory to 27,900 murders at Sobibor death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland

German prosecutors have formally charged John Demjanjuk with 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder at a Nazi death camp during the second world war.

The charges against the 89-year-old retired car worker, who was deported from the US in May, were filed at a state court in Munich, prosecutors in the city said. A trial date has not been set.

Doctors cleared the way for formal charges this month, determining that Demjanjuk was fit to stand trial as long as court proceedings did not exceed two 90-minute sessions per day.

Prosecutors have accused Demjanjuk of serving as a guard at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Demjanjuk has claimed he was a Red Army soldier who was a prisoner of war, and that he never hurt anyone.

But Nazi-era documents obtained by US justice authorities and shared with German prosecutors include a photo ID card identifying Demjanjuk as a guard at the Sobibor camp and information that he was trained at an SS facility for Nazi guards at Trawniki in Poland.

Charges of accessory to murder carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison in Germany.

Efraim Zuroff, the head of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem, welcomed the filing of formal charges. “This is obviously an important step forward,” he said. “We hope that the trial itself will be expedited so that justice will be achieved and he can be given the appropriate punishment.

“The effort to bring Demjanjuk to justice sends a very powerful message that the passage of time in no way diminishes the guilt of the perpetrator”.