As of: February 7, 2024, 1:52 p.m
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A figure and a cross on a grave in St. Elisabeth Cemetery.
© Jens Kalaene/dpa
People pay for their funerals in good faith during their lifetime.
A church employee is said to have taken advantage of this.
Berlin - A church employee is said to have embezzled money for funerals for years and thus obtained at least almost 166,900 euros.
The Berlin public prosecutor's office accuses the employee of the Evangelical Cemetery Association of Berlin South-East of breach of trust in 234 cases, a spokesman announced on Monday.
In fact, investigators assume there are more crimes.
The now 50-year-old is said to have embezzled money from the South-East Church Administration Office since 2012, according to the public prosecutor's office.
However, any acts committed before July 2017 are statute-barred.
According to an authority spokesman, the man was fired at the end of 2021 after the case was exposed.
According to the investigation, the church employee is said to have forwarded cash to himself from the association offices in Karlshorst, Mahlsdorf and Mariendorf in 32 cases - and thus collected 91,850 euros.
He is said to have obtained a further 67,940 euros by keeping payments for himself from 161 customers who had already made advance payments during their lifetime for funeral costs that would later become due.
In another 41 cases, the man is said to have pocketed money that was paid to the cemetery association for flowers and grave cutlery.
According to the public prosecutor's office, one of the customers initiated the initial investigation.
As part of a system change, an employee noticed missing bookings in 2019.
dpa