“I have to look after my mother.” But he was on holiday in Dubai

School employee exploited Italian Law No. 104, claiming that he was looking after his elderly mother who was not self-sufficient, when, in fact, he was on holiday in Dubai.

 

Following inspections carried out to protect public expenditure, the finance police in Erba reported a school employee to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Como, for aggravated fraud against the State.

 

The police discovered that the employee in question, who had been given special leave to look after his elderly mother, was, in fact, on an organised holiday with his family, in Dubai, at the very time when he was absent from work, benefitting from the leave.

 

Documentary evidence was obtained from the travel agent who had organised the holiday package.

The rules introduced to allow specific and justified absences give state employees permission, under Italian Law No. 104/92, and special leave, under Legislative Decree No. 151/2001.

 

Paid absences, which allow individuals to work fewer hours per day, and to take three days of absence from the workplace every month, are granted to employees of the state and of private companies who take up the difficult task of looking after a spouse or a relative, up to the second degree of kinship, affected by a level of disability documented in a special report by the appropriate medical committees.

 

For this, the Finance Police make regular checks on those who make use of these benefits, obtaining from the state organisations a list of them, together with the days of absence received thanks to these benefits.