The employee of a water utility owned by the Spanish city of Cadiz didn't appear at its office for up to six years and "did absolutely no work" for three years prior to his retirement in 2011, said the ruling issued last month and provided to The Associated Press Friday. Former Cadiz Deputy Mayor Jose Blas Fernandez said in a telephone interview he initiated the investigation after reviewing personnel records and realizing no one had seen the worker for a long time after his transfer to the utility from a city hall job. The worker sent city hall a letter denying he abandoned his job and asking officials not to force him to pay back the money. Vila didn't say whether officials have responded but pledged that the city administration would immediately focus on "the optimization of human resources" to reduce the risk of similar cases.