An incredible mistake occurred at the Chilean food company Dan Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos: instead of the usual salary of 500,000 Chilean pesos (about 440 euros), an administrative assistant was mistakenly paid approximately 165 million Chilean pesos (almost 147,000 euros).

When the company realized what had happened, the worker promised to return the money, but three days later he simply disappeared, sent a written resignation, and never spoke about the case again.

The company reported him for theft, demanded the return of the money, and initiated court proceedings that lasted almost three years. The accused could have ended up behind bars for a year and a half, but in the end the court in Santiago ruled in his favor. The judge concluded that this was not the criminal offense of theft, but so-called “unjust enrichment,” which does not fall under criminal jurisdiction, but rather under civil litigation.

The company, although defeated in court, is not giving up. It announced an appeal and the taking of all legal steps in an attempt to recover the money that was transferred by mistake. The unusual case is reported by the British tabloid The Sun, which notes that the judicial system in this country apparently has an unusual view of “happy accidents” in the workplace.