Meter Enforcer and Spouse Arrested in €1 Million Parking Theft Case
One meter attendant and his wife have been detained on suspicion of misappropriating over €1m out of the parking meters of a small German town.
The unnamed city worker is believed to have removed cash out of parking meters in Kempten on numerous occasions and deposited them in bank accounts that his spouse had access to, local police said in a statement.
A financial crime report by a credit institution notified authorities to the suspected theft. The attendant has been accused with numerous charges of theft, while his spouse is charged with 720 counts of aiding and abetting theft.
Kempten Head Thomas Kiechle said he was shocked and disappointed by the claims.
In October, the Kempten public prosecutor's office were notified that money was frequently being placed into multiple accounts, according to sources.
Officers then searched office premises in the early hours 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 detained in different jails.
It is not clear how long it might have taken the couple to accumulate the amount.
In response to the allegations, the mayor announced the appointment of a committee to review past procedures, uncover potential flaws, and reliably correct them for the future.
Kiechle noted that the names of the individuals could not currently be released due to the active probe and confidentiality issues.
In a written statement, the mayor stated: "I certainly support the public prosecutor's office and the law enforcement in their detailed inquiry of the allegations."
"Until the case are resolved, the innocent until proven guilty applies," he continued.
The town is among the oldest settlements in the country. Located in the southern region, it lies under the slopes of the Allgäu and has approximately seventy thousand inhabitants.
