Italian Hospital Worker Allegedly Skipped Work On Full Pay For 15 Years

The man reportedly raked in around $645,000 during his unauthorized leave.
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Talk about taking paid time off.

A hospital employee in southern Italy allegedly played hooky from work ― on full pay ― for 15 years.

The man, now 67, raked in around $645,000 during his unauthorized leave, per the BBC, which didn’t identify him by name.

The civil servant was assigned to work as a safety officer at the Pugliese Ciaccio hospital in Catanzaro in 2005, reported The Guardian. But he didn’t show up and then threatened the hospital director against writing up his absence.

When the director retired, the man’s absence continued for another decade and a half. It only came to light during a police probe into absenteeism in the public sector.

The man now faces charges of abuse of office, forgery and extortion. Six of his colleagues are also under investigation for their possible roles in his ruse, reported the ANSA news agency.

In 2016, a building supervisor in Cadiz, Spain, was found to have skipped work for six years. Joaquín García was only busted when he was flagged to receive an award for 20 years of service.

Two local government employees in nearby Jerez de la Frontera were exposed in 2016 for being absent from work for 15 years each.

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