Werner Teske (24 April 1942 – 26 June 1981) was an East German Hauptmann (Captain) of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi).

Teske was a senior intelligence officer in the Stasi's economic espionage division when he was accused of plotting to defect to West Germany with sensitive information and embezzled money.

[3] A staunch communist,[5] he entered the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1966[3] and became an unofficial collaborator (IM) of the Stasi in 1967.

[6] In 1969, he obtained his doctorate in economics,[3] and started working full-time for the Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung, the foreign intelligence arm of the Stasi.

In September 1980, Teske was arrested when irregularities in his work came to attention of the Stasi after he had failed to turn up to an appointment when he had been drunk at home.

Later, his previous embezzlement of operating money from his Stasi division was uncovered, and another cache of documents was found stashed in his apartment.

[16][3] These new rulings were justified by the fact that the original decision had been disproportionate according to East German law, as though Teske had planned to defect, he never actually committed the offenses he was sentenced for.