A former cleaner in the Mirabell Palace in the city of Salzburg is now up to her neck: she has to answer to the regional court for serious damage to property. The 41-year-old is said to have intentionally caused water damage in the amount of 170,500 euros in the listed building last year.

On April 22, so the prosecution accuses her, the woman turned on the faucet and a water outlet under a sink, so that the water ran in rooms and floors over the weekend. The presumed motive: revenge because her trial contract as a cleaner had not been extended. The accused denies having caused the damage – she was not upset about the end of the trial contract either, she said on Tuesday.

Consumption measurement relieves cleaning lady

However, the evaluation of the key cards for access to the office building revealed that the defendants had entered the offices from which the water damage had originated. A total of eight cubic meters of water are said to have escaped. According to a person responsible for the real estate company, measurements had shown that there was only an increase in water consumption from 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Was it originally flooded by a technical defect? Now a sworn installer should bring clarity. The process will only start after the expert opinion is available.