PARIS ~ Fifteen former workers at the Eiffel Tower, the world’s most visited monument, got suspended jail sentences and fines for embezzling hundreds of thousands of euros from ticket sales.

The 12 women and three men were found guilty last week of breach of trust for taking advantage of weaknesses in the ticket office’s computer system to steal part of the sales revenues from 1996 to 2002.

They were handed suspended sentences ranging from three months to one year and fines of between 2,000 et 10,000 euros, and ordered to pay 700,000 euros (US$940,000) to the company that manages the Eiffel Tower, a sum corresponding to the amount they embezzled.