Billa will double donations after declining repayment

More than 2,000 people have donated about 30,000 euros for a former Billa cashier whose unauthorised discounts caused the supermarket chain losses of around 25,700 euros, ORF reported. The money was intended to repay the loss, but Billa said it did not want the payment and would instead double the donations for a charitable cause.

The charity to receive the money has not yet been chosen. The fundraiser’s organiser said he had coordinated with the 23-year-old’s lawyer so the donations could reach him and be used for repayment.

The former cashier lost his job at Billa after the case became public. In his new line of work, he earns less than 1,000 euros a month, according to the organiser, making repayment of the full amount a serious financial burden.

The cashier was given a final sentence of five months’ imprisonment, suspended, for breach of trust. He must not commit another offence during a three-year probation period or he could be sent to prison.

The fundraiser was started by a project manager from Waidhofen an der Ybbs in Lower Austria. He said he had not known the young man personally before learning about the case through media coverage.