A Chilean office worker has emerged victorious from a three-year legal battle after quitting his job following an extraordinary payroll error that saw him receive more than 300 times his regular monthly wage.
The employee, who worked as an assistant at Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile, typically earned around 500,000 pesos (£386) per month. However, in May 2022, an accounting mistake resulted in 165 million pesos—approximately £127,000—being deposited directly into his bank account.
What happened next reads like a workplace thriller. According to the food company, the worker initially participated in a meeting with human resources where he agreed to return the windfall. But just three days later, he submitted his resignation, setting off a protracted legal dispute that would consume the next three years.
The company’s management didn’t take the departure quietly. They pursued criminal charges against their former employee, accusing him of theft. It is a serious allegation that could have resulted in hefty fines and up to 540 days behind bars.
However, when the case finally reached a Santiago courtroom, a judge delivered a verdict that must have felt like sweet vindication for the defendant. The court dismissed the theft charges entirely, determining that the situation constituted “unauthorised collection” rather than criminal theft, placing it outside the realm of prosecutable offenses.
The ruling represents a significant legal distinction. While theft requires intent to permanently deprive someone of their property, the judge apparently found that the circumstances didn’t meet this criminal threshold, likely due to the company’s own error in creating the situation.
Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos de Chile has made it clear they’re far from ready to accept defeat. In a statement to Diario Financiero, the company declared its determination to pursue every available legal avenue: “We will take all possible legal steps, particularly an application for annulment, to have the ruling reviewed.”
This remarkable case highlights the complex legal territory that emerges when significant payroll errors collide with employment law. While the criminal case has been dismissed, the company’s pursuit of civil remedies suggests this saga may continue to unfold in different courtrooms.
For now, the former assistant has successfully navigated the most serious threat he faced—potential criminal prosecution. Whether he’ll ultimately keep the life-changing sum remains to be seen.