Parking Enforcer and Wife Arrested in €1 Million Parking Theft Case
One meter attendant and his wife have been detained on suspicion of embezzling more than €1m from the parking meters of a modest German town.
The unnamed municipal employee is thought to have taken cash from street meters in the town on numerous occasions and deposited them in financial accounts that his wife had control over, local police stated in a statement.
A financial crime alert by a credit institution notified authorities to the alleged theft. The attendant has been charged with numerous charges of theft, while his spouse faces 720 counts of assisting in the crime.
The town's Head Thomas Kiechle said he was stunned and dismayed by the claims.
In the fall, the Kempten legal authorities were informed that money was repeatedly being deposited into multiple accounts, according to reports.
Police then raided office premises in the morning of November 24, the very day that a 40-year-old man and a woman in her late thirties were taken into custody.
They are now being held in separate detention facilities.
It is uncertain how long it might have taken the couple to accumulate the sum.
In reaction to the accusations, Kiechle announced the formation of a commission to review previous work processes, identify possible weaknesses, and effectively remedy them for the coming years.
He added that the names of the individuals could not currently be released due to the ongoing probe and privacy concerns.
In a official comment, Kiechle stated: "I naturally back the public prosecutor's office and the law enforcement in their detailed inquiry of the allegations."
"Until the case are concluded, the innocent until proven guilty stands," he added.
The town is among the most historic towns in the country. Located in the southern region, it sits under the slopes of the Allgäu and has around 70,000 residents.
