A parking inspector and his wife have been arrested on suspicion of embezzling over €1 million (£878,000) from parking meters in the small German town of Kempten. Police reports indicate that the inspector, whose name has not been released due to the ongoing investigation, is believed to have repeatedly removed coins from parking meters and deposited them into bank accounts accessible to his wife.
The investigation began after a credit institution filed a money laundering report regarding unusual cash deposits into several bank accounts. Local police have charged the parking inspector with 720 counts of theft, while his wife faces the same number of counts for aiding and abetting the alleged theft.
In October, the Kempten public prosecutor’s office was notified about the suspicious financial activity. Subsequently, on November 24, police executed a search of the office premises and arrested a 40-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, who are now being held in separate detention facilities. It remains uncertain how long it took the couple to accumulate such a significant sum.
Kempten’s Mayor Thomas Kiechle expressed his shock at the allegations and announced the formation of a commission to assess past work processes to identify and rectify any weaknesses moving forward. He emphasized the importance of supporting the investigation and noted that the couple’s names could not be disclosed at this time. Kiechle reiterated that the presumption of innocence applies until the conclusion of the proceedings.
Kempten, located in southern Germany, is one of the country’s oldest settlements with a population of about 70,000 residents.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c997r8pyyz4o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss