A 37-year-old former employee of a supermarket in Waldshut-Tiengen, southern Germany, is suspected of having forged 2,299 deposit coupons over several years and taking about €230,000. He had worked his way up from an intern to manager and was responsible for the return machines. The case came to light during the supermarket’s annual inventory. In court, he acknowledged stealing money but disputed the amount, saying he had collected no more than €45,000. Each coupon allegedly represented deposits from hundreds of bottles.

The supermarket initially had him sign an admission and agree to repay the money in instalments. The case went to trial after he became unemployed and stopped paying; he said he had signed under pressure from his superiors. His former employer told the court that his spending on expensive watches, a car and football matches did not match his salary. The supermarket now limits customers to handing in €5 worth of deposit bottles at a time.