The brochure says to confess your sins to Jehovah, then approach the elders. It is carefully worded this way.
In reality you have also to confess your sins to the elders.
They will make a judgement call on your punishment, and you might just end up disfellowshipped for something you did 40 years ago.
*** w11 8/15 p. 31 par. 15 Pursue Peace ***
If a Christian becomes aware of a serious sin on the part of a fellow believer, he should encourage that one to confess the sin to the elders.
*** g97 10/22 p. 30 From Our Readers *** Confessing Sins
I serve as a congregation elder, and I want to express my appreciation for the article “Young People Ask . . . Should I Confess My Sin?” (January 22, 1997) This article moved a number of youngsters to confess serious transgressions committed some time ago.
*** g03 6/22 p. 19 How My Spiritual Thirst Was Satisfied *** Matters That Began to Bother Me
Yet, some activities within the Catholic Church bothered me... In addition, I had a hard time believing that I had to go to a priest to confess my sins. I reasoned that I should be able to talk to God about such personal matters.