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A 69-year-old Spanish civil servant, Joaquín García, was fined about $30,000 after it was discovered he hadn’t shown up for work in at least six years—possibly as many as 14. Ironically, his absence came to light when a deputy mayor tried to honor him for 20 years of loyal service.
The city council and a water company each assumed the other was supervising García, who was supposed to oversee construction of a water treatment plant. A manager admitted he hadn’t seen García in years, despite working across from his office. García argues he was bullied and given a job with no actual work to do because of his socialist politics. During his years away from work, he reportedly became “an avid reader of philosophy and an expert on the works of Spinoza.” |
| Vocabulary | |
| come to light = to become known or revealed, often something previously hidden or secret
oversee = to watch over and manage; supervise |
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