Italian Hospital Worker Skipped Work For 15 Years But Continued Getting Paid

A hospital employee in Italy has been accused of skipping work for 15 years. The man allegedly stopped showing up to work in 2005 but continued to draw a salary, reports The Guardian. Police say Salvatore Scumace was paid 5,38,000 euros in the course of these 15 years, despite the fact that he stopped showing up to work at Pugliese Ciaccio hospital in the city of Catanzaro. 

Mr Scumace, 66, is now facing an investigation for fraud, extortion and abuse of office, reports Italian news agency ANSA. Six managers at the hospital have also been placed under investigation for enabling Mr Scumace's absenteeism and not taking action against him.

Details of the case were revealed after a lengthy police investigation into fraud and absenteeism, which is rife in the public sector in Italy. In the investigation, codenamed Part Time, police collected witness statements from other hospital employees and looked into attendance and salary records.

In 2005, the man allegedly threatened his hospital director to stop her from filing a disciplinary report against him. After the director retired, Mr Scumace's absenteeism continued unchecked because neither human resources nor the director's successors noticed he wasn't coming to work. Mr Scumace also continued to draw a salary. 

In 2016, then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had tightened laws against the work-shy after several stings and investigations revealed how rampant absenteeism was in the Italian public sector.