Why did Han van Meegeren confess to forgery after World War II?

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kouros — Art fraud Kouros of uncertain provenance, formerly on display with the label “about 530 bc or modern forgery,” dolomitic marble; in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California.

Han van Meegeren confessed to forgery following World War II primarily to avoid a conviction for treason.1

After the war, an Allied commission discovered a painting attributed to Johannes Vermeer in the collection of Hermann Göring. Because the painting was traced back to van Meegeren, he was arrested and charged with collaborating with the Nazi regime by selling Dutch cultural treasures to the enemy.1

Facing the severe consequences of a collaboration charge, van Meegeren revealed that the painting was actually a forgery he had created himself. By confessing to art fraud, he effectively cleared himself of the treasonous act of selling national heritage to the Nazis, as he had merely sold them a fake. To prove his claim, he even painted another "Vermeer" while under the observation of authorities.1