An official from our beloved Belastingdienst (Tax and Customs Administration) has been found with almost a million euros cash in his kitchen.
We all know tax officials aren’t paid THAT well, so yep: he’s suspected of leaking information to criminals.
A pretty serious crime means a pretty serious time, right? Nah. His punishment? 180 hours of community service. Here’s what went down.
A stack of cash for dinner, anyone?
The suspect in the case is a 53-year-old man, who had been working as a tax official for the Belastingdienst since 2007.
His apartment was raided by the politie in July of last year after they had reason to suspect him of leaking information, reports RTL Nieuws.
Lo and behold, they found something. And by “something,” we mean five boxes stacked with cash — €920,000, to be exact. 📦 💶
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The amount was hidden behind the skirting boards of the man’s kitchen cabinets, and he claims to have had no idea the cash was there. 🤷♂️
i found a smooth 300 in my kitchen… in the cereal box 😭😭 gotta stop hiding money around the house like that bc i damn sure forgot about it 💀— Syddie 🫠 (@NomNom___) December 2, 2021
Why no prison sentence?
The Openbaar Ministerie (Public Prosecution Service) took the official to court, where they sued him for money laundering and data breach. 👨⚖️
The prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of 36 months, 12 of which would be probationary.
The accused acknowledged occasionally giving out sensitive information from the Belastingdienst’s systems to help people with tax questions. The court, therefore, ruled the man guilty of a data protection breach.
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When it came to the hidden money, the suspect continued to plead his innocence. Since the court could not provide concrete evidence proving that the official knew about the money in his kitchen, he could not be charged with money laundering.
That’s why the suspect got away with only 180 hours of community service. 😳
Broken trust
The court emphasized that both the government and society should be able to trust tax officials like the suspect, who handle sensitive information about millions of us on a daily basis.
READ MORE | 10 things to know about taxes in the Netherlands as an expat
Therefore, on top of community service, the man’s employer has announced that they will fire him. The large sum of money will be confiscated (we volunteer as tributes!).
Do you think this man knew about the money in his kitchen? Tell us in the comments!
Yes ofcourse he did know about the cash in his kitchen! That’s how he paid all those bills ,and pros!
And you set such high moral standards for the rest of the world.
The hypocrisy is so glaring.
Dutch Lula
I too, hide money in kitchen and then forget about it.
It was my money. Give me after cutting taxes 🙂