Prosecutors seek prison sentence for Marechaussee employee over crypto theft
The former investigating officer allegedly misused police systems to steal more than €6,000.
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The Public Prosecution Service is seeking a six-month prison sentence for a former investigating officer with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. According to prosecutors, he used information from police systems to gain access to a passer-by’s crypto wallet at Schiphol.
The suspect is accused of looking up an entry about a traveller checked at Schiphol on 24 October 2025. He allegedly then found a secret recovery code for a crypto wallet in other police systems, the Public Prosecution Service writes.
Using that code, he allegedly transferred more than €6,000 in cryptocurrency to his own crypto account. He later transferred the money to his ordinary bank account, according to prosecutors, and reinvested part of it in various cryptocurrencies.
The Public Prosecution Service says the suspect subsequently looked up the victim in police systems about 20 times. According to the prosecution, this was presumably to monitor the situation surrounding the theft. The victim, prosecutors say, only discovered the missing money more than a week later while checking his account.
The former Marechaussee employee was dismissed, according to the Public Prosecution Service. In addition to theft, prosecutors accuse him of computer trespass for allegedly accessing systems without authorisation, despite having access to them through his job. The prosecution also wants him to repay the money to the victim.
The case is being heard by the military division in Arnhem. A sentence sought by prosecutors is not a verdict: the suspect is presumed innocent unless and until the court rules otherwise. The Public Prosecution Service says the misuse of confidential government information is particularly serious because citizens must be able to trust that data is accessed only for work purposes.
The case also highlights a practical security problem. A 24-word recovery code had ended up in a police entry, according to the Public Prosecution Service; the report does not establish whether this happened through the victim, an employee or an administrative error. The prosecution does not report that the systems were breached more extensively than alleged in this case.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Public Prosecution Service is seeking a six-month prison sentence for a former Marechaussee employee.
- According to prosecutors, the suspect used his access to police systems to reach a crypto wallet.
- The court has yet to deliver its judgment.
Left
Arguments The case underlines that government bodies must provide stronger protection for personal data and vulnerable digital information, including when employees have formal access.
Values Privacy, protecting citizens and oversight of positions of power are central.
Consequences Greater oversight and restrictions on internal access could reduce abuse, but may also create additional work and costs.
Centre
Arguments The key lies in a reliable combination of access management, logging, training and individual responsibility. Not every employee needs less access if its use can be properly monitored.
Values Proportionality, legal certainty and institutional trust.
Consequences Targeted security measures can limit risks without unnecessarily slowing down everyday police work.
Right
Arguments Anyone who uses police powers for personal gain must be dealt with firmly, otherwise the authority of the state is undermined.
Values Responsibility, order and protecting public institutions.
Consequences Heavy sentences and swift disciplinary measures can act as a deterrent, but the court must still establish individual guilt carefully.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The allegations, the sentence sought and the amounts were checked directly against the Public Prosecution Service. The article makes clear that this concerns a suspicion and a prosecution demand, not a conviction.
- confirmed The Public Prosecution Service is seeking a six-month prison sentence for a former Marechaussee investigating officer. — Stated in the Public Prosecution Service’s statement of 9 November 2026. source
- confirmed The suspect allegedly stole more than €6,000 in cryptocurrency. — According to the Public Prosecution Service’s description of the same case. source
- confirmed The suspect allegedly searched police systems for the victim about 20 times. — Reported by the Public Prosecution Service. source