Italian man accused of skipping work for 15 years

A view of the Arnaldo Pugliese Ciaccio Hospital in Catanzaro. Photo / Getty Images

A hospital employee in Italy is accused of skipping work for 15 years, while still getting paid in full.

The man, who is now being investigated for fraud, extortion and abuse of office, allegedly stopped showing up to work in 2005.

He was an employee at the Ciaccio hospital in Catanzaro, a city in southern Italy.

It is thought that, over the course of the 15 years, the man has been receiving his salary in full, and has received more than NZ$896,000.

Six managers at the same hospital are also under investigation, in connection to the man's long absence.

The man's story is part of a large-scale investigation into suspected fraud in the Italian public sector.

According to local reports, the man allegedly threatened his manager, in order to stop her from pursuing disciplinary action against him.

Once that manager eventually retired, authorities say the man's absence was somehow missed by her successor, as well as the wider administration and human resources team at the hospital.

The 66-year-old man was officially fired in October 2020, despite not having shown up to work since 2005.