Maasstad hospital technician accused of €21,000 fraud tied to Curaçao building project
A former technical employee of Maasstad Ziekenhuis in Rotterdam allegedly misused hospital funds to order more than 21,000 euros in construction and household materials allegedly linked to a private building project in Curaçao while also arranging a 375-euro fried-food truck for a personal celebration, Dutch court documents show. He must repay 11,500 euros to the hospital after prior deductions, in addition to 1,875 euros in legal costs owed to Maasstad Ziekenhuis.
The purchases included four air conditioners worth 14,661 euros, a vacuum cleaner costing 2,219 euros, five shower sets priced at 2,944 euros, 30 light fixtures totaling 1,200 euros, and a boiler costing 289 euros. The total order amounted to 21,315 euros, placed while he was employed as a technical staff member at the Rotterdam hospital, AD reports.
According to Maasstad Ziekenhuis and Hoffmann Bedrijfsrecherche, a corporate investigative firm, the materials never arrived at or were found in the hospital and instead appeared on a “buyer selection list" for a construction project in Curaçao allegedly being developed by the man and his wife.
The hospital says it discovered additional misconduct on May 1, 2024, when the employee allegedly took hospital property, including two new mixing faucets, a sliding bar, and a construction lamp worth a combined 709 euros. He was dismissed after this incident came to light.
He was also accused of ordering a fried-food truck for a private party at his home at the hospital’s expense, costing 375 euros, and of using a company car for personal purposes.
Maasstad estimates total damages at more than 30,000 euros and has sought 25,000 euros in repayment. It already withheld 13,500 euros from his final salary payments. The former employee went to court, arguing the withheld wages were incorrect and demanding repayment.
In court, the man presented multiple explanations for the purchases. He claimed he had permission to take items from the hospital on May 1, 2024, saying they were “items that had no value anymore.” The court found no written authorization and said the items were in fact new.
Regarding the 21,315-euro order, he argued it was for “planned maintenance” at Maasstad Ziekenhuis. In statements to investigators, he later said it involved “wrongly ordered materials” that would be returned and that permission had been granted. The hospital denied all of these claims, and no administrative records of returns were found, while the materials were never located in Rotterdam.
Hoffmann Bedrijfsrecherche concluded the supplies were linked to a construction project in Curaçao. The court said the suspect’s claim that no construction was taking place on a purchased plot on the island and that he had only searched the materials online “as an example" was insufficient to rebut suspicion that the goods were used elsewhere.
The judge also rejected his explanation for the fried-food truck, saying he lacked permission and did not provide a credible account that it had been intended for hospital use but could not be delivered there.
The court ruled that the former employee failed to disprove the allegations. As a result, he must repay 11,500 euros to the hospital after prior deductions, in addition to 1,875 euros in legal costs owed to Maasstad Ziekenhuis.
