The Public Prosecution Service has imposed a community service of 180 hours on a former employee of the municipality of The Hague. She accessed information without it being necessary for her work and shared it with acquaintances.
The case came to light during a police investigation into theft and fencing. Two photos of license plate data were found on the phone of the suspect in that investigation. Those photos were made and sent by a then 26-year-old woman from The Hague who had been working for the municipality of The Hague for over six months. The National Detective Service started an investigation which revealed that the woman had also looked up the license plates of two acquaintances and had viewed a permit application of a relative.
The public prosecutor decided on Friday during the OM-Hoorgesprek to impose a community service of 180 hours. She took into account that the woman confessed, did not gain or intend to gain any financial benefit, and that the inquiries were not intended for criminal purposes. The public prosecutor also weighed that this is a case from 2021 and that the suspect lost her job at the municipality at that time.
During an OM-Hoorgesprek, a public prosecutor imposes a penalty on a suspect. The Public Prosecution Service can do this for certain offenses up to a certain maximum penalty. If a suspect agrees to the imposed penalty, the case is settled. If a suspect objects, a hearing in court will still take place. In this case, the suspect accepted the community service of 180 hours.