Meter Enforcer and Spouse Apprehended in €1m Parking Theft Investigation
One meter attendant and his wife have been detained on suspicion of embezzling over €1m out of the coin-operated meters of a modest town in Germany.
The unnamed municipal employee is believed to have taken coins out of street meters in Kempten on numerous instances and placed them in financial accounts that his wife had access to, local police said in a statement.
A financial crime report by a bank alerted investigators to the suspected theft. The parking inspector has been charged with 720 counts of theft, while his wife faces 720 counts of aiding and abetting the crime.
The town's Head the mayor expressed he was stunned and disappointed by the claims.
In October, the local public prosecutor's office were notified that money was repeatedly being deposited into multiple accounts, as reported by reports.
Police then raided office premises in the early hours of November 24, the same day that a 40-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were arrested.
They are now being detained in separate jails.
It is not clear how much time it might have taken the pair to accrue the amount.
In response to the allegations, Kiechle announced the formation of a commission to examine previous work processes, uncover potential weaknesses, and effectively remedy them for the future.
Kiechle noted that the identities of the couple could not at this time be released due to the ongoing investigation and confidentiality issues.
In a official comment, the mayor stated: "I naturally back the public prosecutor's office and the law enforcement in their detailed investigation of the allegations."
"Until the case are concluded, the presumption of innocence applies," he added.
Kempten is one of the most historic towns in the country. Situated in the country's south, it lies under the hills of the Allgäu and has approximately 70,000 residents.
