Meter Inspector and Spouse Arrested in €1m Parking Embezzlement Case
One meter attendant and his spouse have been arrested on allegations of misappropriating more than €1m out of the coin-operated meters of a small town in Germany.
The unnamed municipal employee is believed to have taken cash from street meters in the town on numerous instances and deposited them in financial accounts that his wife had access to, local police said in a statement.
A financial crime report by a bank notified authorities to the alleged theft. The attendant has been accused with numerous charges of theft, while his spouse faces multiple counts of assisting in theft.
The town's Head the mayor expressed he was shocked and dismayed by the allegations.
In the fall, the local legal authorities were informed that money was frequently being deposited into several accounts, according to reports.
Officers then searched work locations in the morning of 24 November, the very day that a 40-year-old man and a woman in her late thirties were arrested.
They are now being held in separate jails.
It is uncertain how much time it might have taken the couple to accumulate the sum.
In response to the accusations, the mayor declared the appointment of a commission to review past work processes, identify potential weaknesses, and effectively correct them for the coming years.
He added that the identities of the individuals could not currently be disclosed due to the active investigation and confidentiality issues.
In a official comment, Kiechle said: "I certainly back the legal authorities and the law enforcement in their thorough inquiry of the allegations."
"Until the proceedings are resolved, the presumption of innocence stands," he continued.
The town is one of the most historic settlements in Germany. Located in the southern region, it lies under the hills of the Allgäu region and has around 70,000 residents.
