[Chile] Office worker accidentally paid 330 times his salary wins legal battle

In Chile, an office worker has won a legal battle against his former employer after he was accidentally paid more than 300 times his monthly salary, GB News reports.

The man worked as an assistant for the food company Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile, earning around £386 a month.

In May 2022, he was reportedly astonished after discovering that his employer had deposited £127,000 into his bank account on payday.

The food company claimed that the man initially agreed to repay the money, following a meeting with its HR department. But a long legal battle was triggered when the employee resigned from his post just three days later.

The company reportedly accused the employee of committing theft. A crime which carries a sentence of up to 540 days in prison under Chilean law.

However, a judge in the country's capital of Santiago ruled that the man had not committed theft and deemed it an "unauthorised collection" and therefore, not a crime the court could prosecute.

The Court of Appeals in Santiago subsequently sent the case to the civil court, which acquitted the worker without requiring him to repay the money.

Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile reportedly said that it will explore other options to retrieve the money.

In a statement to Chilean outlet Diario Financiero, the food company said, "We will take all possible legal steps, particularly an application for annulment, to have the ruling reviewed."

Source: GB News

(Quote via original reporting)

In Chile, an office worker has won a legal battle against his former employer after he was accidentally paid more than 300 times his monthly salary, GB News reports.

The man worked as an assistant for the food company Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile, earning around £386 a month.

In May 2022, he was reportedly astonished after discovering that his employer had deposited £127,000 into his bank account on payday.

The food company claimed that the man initially agreed to repay the money, following a meeting with its HR department. But a long legal battle was triggered when the employee resigned from his post just three days later.

The company reportedly accused the employee of committing theft. A crime which carries a sentence of up to 540 days in prison under Chilean law.

However, a judge in the country's capital of Santiago ruled that the man had not committed theft and deemed it an "unauthorised collection" and therefore, not a crime the court could prosecute.

The Court of Appeals in Santiago subsequently sent the case to the civil court, which acquitted the worker without requiring him to repay the money.

Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile reportedly said that it will explore other options to retrieve the money.

In a statement to Chilean outlet Diario Financiero, the food company said, "We will take all possible legal steps, particularly an application for annulment, to have the ruling reviewed."

Source: GB News

(Quote via original reporting)