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Sitting at home, not working and still getting paid every month. What sounds like a dream was reality for a man in Germany for five years. He received almost 6,000 euros transferred to his account every month.
Over the years he collected – at taxpayers’ expense – 350,000 euros. Because: The civil servant worked in the government service. In concrete terms: In the municipality of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, as reported by SWR, among others.
Exposed by a routine administrative audit
How could that happen? The municipal authorities of the Altenkirchen district have started an investigation against the community of Betzdorf-Gebhardshain. Municipal employees are currently being questioned.
Mayor Bernd Brato (64) is central to the investigation. Apparently he has set up a special staff position for the civil servant. His duties should have been in the field of construction and planning. But he simply never received orders. Instead, he sat in his home office for five years without actually working.
According to German media reports, the whole matter was only discovered during a routine audit by the administration. The municipal supervisor investigates why the employee did not perform any duties, but still received the full salary.
Clean up or reward?
The crucial question in this special case: why was the new staff position for the civil servant created? One possibility: the employee was pushed to the sidelines. Was Mayor Brato trying to get him to resign? If this were the case, the mayor would have to compensate the damage of 350,000 euros.
But it can also be an employee who is loyal to the community and has been ‘rewarded’ with a position without duties. The mayor would also be responsible in this case. The employee may simply have been forgotten at the home office.
The investigation is intended to shed light on the matter. The first results are expected in January. According to current knowledge, the civil servant who has received five years’ wages for doing nothing will face no consequences. After all, it wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t given any tasks. Mayor Brato has not yet responded to the accusations. (jwg)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
