The Public Prosecution Service demands 200 hours of community service and a two-month conditional prison sentence with a probation period of two years against a 40-year-old man from Breda suspected of forgery and fraud.
He allegedly intentionally added forged letters of intent to his subsidy application and submitted a final report that listed much higher expenses than were actually incurred. He is also accused of misusing the subsidy funds for purposes other than those intended.
As a director of a local football club, the suspect applied for a subsidy in 2017 under the Sportimpuls program. This program was established by the Ministry of Health, Welfare & Sports to encourage youth participation in sports in low-income neighborhoods. The suspect submitted a request for 70,275 euros for a futsal project aimed at the Breda neighborhood of Hoge Vught.
The funds were to be used for a sports program for children and young people aged 9 to 21, including futsal training, youth coaching, and multiple events. Collaboration with various local partners was promised. After approval of the subsidy application, an amount of 69,100 euros was disbursed.
Discrepancies in Amounts
The police investigated this subsidy application. The suspect had listed several partners who would collaborate on his project, supported by signed letters of intent. However, all those statements were forged, as revealed by the investigation. The partners were unaware of the project.
Verification of the cost items in the final budget revealed significant discrepancies: higher amounts were listed than were actually paid. In one case, there was a difference of over 14,000 euros. During the investigated period, cash withdrawals were also made without a clear explanation of their necessity.
The Public Prosecution Service is convinced that the suspect received public funds to establish a valuable project for vulnerable children and youth, but that part of the money ended up with the football club where he was vice-chairman. The Public Prosecution Service takes this very seriously. Items such as soccer balls, mourning bands, corner flags, and adult clothing were purchased, which are not compatible with futsal activities for local youth.