A parking inspector and his wife have been detained on allegations of embezzling over €1m out of the parking meters of a modest town in Germany.
The unnamed municipal employee is believed to have removed cash from street meters in Kempten on multiple occasions and placed them in financial accounts that his spouse had control over, local police said in a statement.
A money laundering alert by a bank alerted authorities to the alleged theft. The parking inspector has been accused with 720 counts of theft, while his spouse faces multiple counts of aiding and abetting the crime.
The town's Head Thomas Kiechle expressed he was shocked and dismayed by the allegations.
In the fall, the local public prosecutor's office were informed that money was repeatedly being deposited into several bank accounts, according to reports.
Officers then searched work locations in the early hours of 24 November, the very day that a 40-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were arrested.
They are now being held in different detention facilities.
It is not clear how much time it might have required the couple to accumulate the sum.
In reaction to the allegations, the mayor announced the formation of a committee to review previous work processes, uncover possible weaknesses, and effectively remedy them for the future.
He noted that the identities of the individuals could not currently be disclosed due to the ongoing probe and privacy concerns.
In a official comment, the mayor stated: "I naturally back the legal authorities and the law enforcement in their thorough inquiry of the allegations."
"Until the proceedings are resolved, the innocent until proven guilty stands," he added.
The town is one of the most historic towns in the country. Located in the southern region, it sits under the slopes of the Allgäu region and has around 70,000 residents.
