The Varese Guardia di Finanza (Finance Police) continues its action in the fight against malfeasance in public administration, with particular attention to the phenomena of absenteeism and conduct involving the misuse of public resources.
Only formally in service
The financial officers of the Luino company identified an employee of a municipality in the Upper Varese area who, although formally on duty, was working in Switzerland. The man, assigned to the maintenance of public green areas, after having regularly stamped his timecard, systematically left the workplace to devote himself to personal activities and, on several occasions, to work for a company based in Canton Ticino.
Investigations with stalking
The investigations, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Varese and carried out by means of observation, stalking and tailing, made it possible to document repeated and structured behaviour over time: the employee reached the town hall on board a public authority vehicle to testify his presence, parked his service vehicle shortly afterwards at the municipal warehouse and then drove off in his own car and lost track of him, even across the border. All this while he was formally working for the public administration.
Correlation between video surveillance images and telephone data
The cross-checking of images from video surveillance systems installed in the neighbouring municipalities and telephone data proved decisive, as they made it possible to reconstruct, with precision, the subject’s movements during working hours. The comparison with the time sheets thus made it possible to ascertain a total of 18 incidents of unjustified absence.
The complaint
The service activity therefore led to the denunciation of the unfaithful employee against whom the judicial authorities issued a notice of conclusion of the preliminary investigation for the alleged offences of false declaration of presence on duty and fraud against the State. Naturally, the criminal proceedings are at the preliminary investigation stage and the responsibility of the suspect will only be finally ascertained at the outcome of an irrevocable conviction.