Parking Enforcer and Wife Apprehended in €1 Million Parking Theft Investigation
One meter attendant and his spouse have been detained on allegations of embezzling over €1m out of the coin-operated meters of a modest German town.
The unnamed municipal employee is believed to have taken coins out of parking meters in the town on numerous instances and deposited them in bank accounts that his spouse had control over, authorities said in a release.
A money laundering alert by a credit institution alerted authorities to the alleged theft. The attendant has been accused with numerous charges of embezzlement, while his spouse faces multiple counts of aiding and abetting the crime.
The town's Mayor the mayor expressed he was stunned and disappointed by the claims.
In the fall, the Kempten legal authorities were notified that cash was repeatedly being placed into several accounts, as reported by sources.
Officers then searched office premises in the morning of 24 November, the same day that a man in his forties and a woman in her late thirties were taken into custody.
They are now being held in separate jails.
It is uncertain how long it might have required the couple to accumulate the amount.
In reaction to the allegations, Kiechle announced the formation of a commission to review previous work processes, identify possible weaknesses, and effectively correct them for the future.
Kiechle noted that the identities of the individuals could not currently be disclosed due to the active probe and privacy concerns.
In a official comment, the mayor stated: "I certainly support the legal authorities and the police in their detailed investigation of the allegations."
"Until the proceedings are resolved, the innocent until proven guilty stands," he continued.
Kempten is among the oldest towns in Germany. Located in the southern region, it lies under the slopes of the Allgäu region and has around 70,000 inhabitants.