Ex-employee denies

Embezzlement case: scratch cards sold for 143,000 euros

Symbolic image.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

The accused ex-shop manager (46) denies the accusation at the trial in Salzburg. But the evidence and witness statements weigh heavily against her.  

There is no real proof, but the evidence speaks volumes: an ex-shop manager (46) is alleged to have embezzled 143,000 euros worth of scratch cards and lottery tickets. She was employed in the store for one and a half years until July 2023: "The defendant activated numerous scratchcards and then redeemed them in the store and elsewhere," emphasized public prosecutor Francesco Obermayr at the trial on Tuesday in the regional court.

He provides an example: on a January day when the accused was on duty, 366 such games were redeemed in one and a half hours, compared to only 21 for other employees in the same period. "After the dismissal, the figures returned to normal," said the prosecutor. The woman with Turkish roots denies the accusation of embezzlement and says: "We always had problems with the inventory." The judge has her doubts and refers to the balance sheets: "It's quite striking." In 2021, the store had scratchcards worth 42,000 euros, in 2022 it was 159,000 euros.

Trafik employee: the accused "was often there with scratch cards" 
When questioned, however, the defendant just shrugs her shoulders. The judge refers to the testimony of an employee of a tobacconist's, where the accused apparently often bought scratch cards: "The woman can still remember that they were often here and always got paid out 200 euros." But that wasn't true, the accused replied and added: "I bought lottery tickets for my mom."

When victims' lawyer Jörg Dostal wants to call her mother as a witness, the defendant gets nervous: "I don't want my mother to find out about this."

The verdict: guilty, nine months conditional imprisonment and restitution, not legally binding.